[Prineville, Ore.] Fire Season will begin for The Dalles and
Prineville units of Oregon Department of Forestry’s (ODF) Central Oregon
District at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, May 15, 2021.
Leadership within the District have been monitoring fuel conditions this
spring, as well as reviewing snowpack, weather forecasts and drought
impacts. The limited precipitation
across the region this spring has affected down woody fuel moisture content as
well as the condition of live vegetation fuels and their susceptibility to fire
ignition and spread. Conditions in The
Dalles and Prineville units are unseasonably dry and at an increased risk of
fire spread. New maximum daily fire
indices are being recorded, indicative of the potential wildfire hazard.
Historically, this will be the earliest declaration of Fire
Season in the District in more than forty years. Typically weather and fuels in central Oregon
begin to warm and dry in late May or early June, with Fire Season beginning in
mid-June. However the lack of spring
rains this year and the rapid loss of snowpack in the higher elevations has
moved this timeframe forward by several weeks.
Early season fires have created significant concern for
firefighters this spring. Twenty-two
human caused fires have burned over 200 acres.
The ten-year-average for this timeframe is ten fires, burning thirty-two
acres. Escaped debris burning is the
leading cause of these fires, accounting for more than half of these wildfires.
General Fire Season
Regulations
The following acts are prohibited during fire season in
accordance with ORS 477.510 and ORS 477.512:
• Smoking
while working in or traveling through any operation area.
• The use
of fuse and caps for blasting, unless approval is granted by the forester.
• The
discharge of an exploding target inside the district or within one-eighth mile
of the district.
• The
discharge of tracer ammunition on land that is within the district or within
one-eighth mile of the district, or when discharged, crosses above land that is
within the district or within one-eighth mile of the district.
Operators should refer to https://www.oregon.gov/odf/fire/Documents/fire-season-requirements-for-industrial-operations.pdf for information specific to industrial operations during fire season, or call
their local ODF Office.
Information specific
to ODF’s Central Oregon District by Unit.
The Dalles Unit-Wasco
and Hood River Counties (541)296-4626
In addition to the on-set of Fire Season in The Dalles Unit,
MH-4 (west of Hwy 35 in Hood River County) and MH-1 (east of Hwy 35 in Hood
River and Wasco counties) will move into Industrial Fire Precaution Level
1. Included in these restrictions is the
use of fire or power-driven machinery in any forest operation unless in
compliance with all fire prevention requirements (ORS Chapter 477 and OAR
Chapter 629 Divisions 41 to 43). A one
hour firewatch is required after all forest operations, unless waived.
Burn permits from ODF or your local fire department are
required for burn barrels and burning yard debris material (ODF will not be
issuing permits for debris burning after May 15th). Always follow all recommendations on your
burn permit. Only burn materials
approved by Oregon Department of Environmental Quality for outdoor burning. A DEQ Fact Sheet to help determine what
applies in your area, or who to call for more information can be found
here:
https://www.oregon.gov/deq/FilterDocs/OpenBurnEng.pdf. Beginning June 1, 2021 Hood River and Wasco
counties will be implementing county wide burn bans to reduce the risk of
wildfire from escaped debris burns.
While campfires are not included in this ban, please verify with the
respective landowner that campfires are allowed on their land and always make
sure the campfire is completely out before leaving.
“There is strong agreement between ODF and our local county
and fire district partners to bump up the Burn Ban dates in alignment with the
fuel conditions we are seeing and the number of fire responses that have
occurred this spring to date. Given the
limited rainfall received during the winter/spring and the hot & dry
conditions, this is the prudent thing to do.
We hope the public can support holding off on burning until the fall
rains in order to minimize the number of human caused wildfires on the
landscape,” states Kristin Dodd, The Dalles Unit Forester.
John Day Unit—Grant,
Wheeler, Morrow, Harney, & Gilliam Counties (541)575-1139
Fuel conditions in the John Day Unit are unseasonably dry,
but do not yet necessitate the restrictions implemented with the Fire Season
declaration.
Burning of logging slash and larger debris piles is not
currently allowed in the John Day Unit.
Burn barrels and smaller yard debris piles do not require a burn permit
from the Department of Forestry, but may require a permit from the local fire
department. Remember to follow safe
burning guidelines and never leave a fire unattended.
Prineville
Unit-Crook, Jefferson, and Deschutes Counties (541)447-5658
Fire Season restrictions are intended to reduce wildfires in
the Prineville Unit and Sister’s Sub-Unit.
Burning of logging slash is not allowed at this time. Contact the local fire departments to obtain
burn permits for burning yard debris where allowed.
For additional information on ODF’s Central Oregon District,
including contact information and unit offices, please visit
www.ODFcentraloregon.com.