Uncategorized articles

Mason Springs Fire (part of Canyon Creek Complex), photographed the evening of August 13, 2015 Oregon Department of Forestry’s John Day Unit is raising money for the Grant County Food Bank by auctioning off two tree planting packages. Each auction package includes 500 mixed conifer seedlings (ponderosa pine and western larch) donated by the Malheur National Forest and planting by ODF’s John Day Unit staff. The auction is also intended to help local residents affected by fire. The one requirement for bidding is that the trees be planted on lands burned by the Canyon...

Ritter, Oregon…Folks in Ritter are used to facing the challenges of living in remote Oregon and finding unusual solutions.  Back in 2014 that is exactly what a group of landowners did, forming the Ritter Collaborative.  The collaborative focuses on enhancing land productivity and restoring the landscape.  Landowners formed the collaborative to improve the economics and efficiencies for on the ground work.  This unique collaborative is made up entirely of private landowners.  Landowners vary from working cattle operations, to residential...

Oregon Department of Forestry’s (ODF) Central Oregon District is terminating fire season at 12:01 am Saturday, October 24, 2015.  Widespread rain across the district last weekend, combined with forecasted cool, moist weather patterns has brought an end to another long difficult fire season.  Oregon and the Pacific Northwest experienced the third historic fire season in a row with drought conditions across much of the landscape.  Burn permits are required for all open burning.  Permits can be obtained from your local fire department or from the...

Weary and wary…Residents in the John Day Valley have been living with fire for more than a month; smoke, loss, and fear have all affected the community, making “normal” seem unachievable.  Fall rains will eventually extinguish the interior fire within the Canyon Creek Complex Fire, but in the meantime some residents within the fire perimeter are working with the local Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) Unit in John Day to remove hazards and clean-up fire damaged vegetation.  This is the first step for these landowners to move toward their new...