ROSEBURG, Ore. — The Douglas Forest Protective Association (DFPA) announced the start of fire season today on the 1.6 million acres of land it protects in Douglas County. The start of fire season ends unregulated outdoor debris burning in rural Douglas County. If fire conditions allow, DFPA will issue free burn permits for handmade debris piles until July 1. An onsite inspection by a forest officer is required before a burn permit can be issued. The inspection is to ensure that:
- the pile is in a safe location close to a water source
- the pile is surrounded by a fire trail scraped down to bare soil
- that fire tools are at the ready
To schedule an onsite inspection for a burn permit, call DFPA at 541-672-6507.
Also suspended until the end of fire season is the use of exploding targets and tracer ammunition on or within an eighth of a mile of any public or private land protected by DFPA. That includes county, state, Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Indian Affairs lands in addition to private forestland.
Already this year, some 14 fires have burned 65 acres on DFPA lands. Although most have been small, at the end of May the Honey Creek Fire northeast of Glide burned 54 acres.
With the onset of fire season, debris piles like this may no longer be burned without a permit on or near land protected by the Douglas Forest Protective Association. (Photo by Melissa Cano)