SALEM, Ore. – Fire season will begin on forest and rangelands protected by three more Oregon Department of Forestry districts starting on Wednesday, July 1 at 12:01 a.m.
The Northeast Oregon, South Cascade and Western Lane districts will join six other ODF districts in southern and central Oregon that are already in a declared fire season.
A fire season declaration places fire prevention restrictions on landowners and the public on lands protected by ODF. Fire prevention regulations on industrial logging and forest management activities also go into effect. The restrictions are designed to reduce the number of human-caused fires at a time of year when wildfires are most likely to occur.
Northeast Oregon
Affected by the fire season declaration are approximately 2 million acres of private, state, county, municipal, and tribal lands in Union, Baker, Wallowa, and Umatilla counties along with small portions of Malheur, Morrow and Grant counties within the ODF Protection District.
“Due to the wet spring, in some areas of northeast Oregon we have an abundance of light and flashy fuels. These fuels will dry out quickly with the hotter and drier weather. When they do dry out, these flashy fuels will often carry fire rapidly,” said Northeast Oregon District Forester Joe Hessel.
Hessel added that, “This year, debris burning is prohibited from the beginning of fire season. We normally restrict debris burning a month or so into fire season, depending on conditions. This change is an effort to mitigate COVID-19 exposure potential for the public and our firefighters. We also want to be sensitive to negative smoke impacts for our vulnerable populations, and reduce the resource commitments typically associated with escaped fires.”
During fire season in Northeast Oregon:
• Debris burning is prohibited. This includes ALL burn barrels and debris piles.
• Campfires must be DEAD OUT! Recreationists are reminded that campfires need to be attended and fully extinguished before being left. Get permission from the landowner before starting a campfire.
• Logging and other industrial operations must meet requirements for fire prevention, such as fire tools, water supply, and watchman service when those operations are occurring on lands protected by ODF.
For further information on fire season restrictions in Northeast Oregon District, contact ODF at these local offices:
La Grande Unit 541-963-3168
Baker City Sub-Unit 541-523-5831
Pendleton Unit 541-276-3491
Wallowa Unit 541-886-2881
South Cascade
South Cascade District Forester Chris Cline said a mild, wet spring has also contributed to a buildup of fine fuels in eastern Lane and southern Linn counties, which make up the South Cascade District.
“The arrival of drier summer weather makes those fine fuels ignite more readily and spread fire faster,” said Cline. “As we enter into our extended dry conditions, we would ask people to be extra vigilant in fire prevention and awareness. It’s always important to prevent as many human-caused fires as possible. With the potential safety concerns related to COVID-19, this year it’s even more critical to relieve any unnecessary burdens that wildfire in our communities creates.”
For further information on fire season restrictions in the South Cascade District, call ODF at these local offices:
Springfield – Brian Dally at 541-726-3588 ext 226
Sweet Home – 541-367-6108 press 0
Western Lane
Link Smith is District Forester for the Western Lane District. He said,”Declaring fire season puts in place restrictions intended to prevent human-caused fires, which are up compared to the 10 year average for this time of year.”
Smith encouraged people before they head out to forests to check ODF’s online map showing fire danger levels and fire restrictions on all ODF-protected lands anywhere in Oregon. The map can be found at https://gisapps.odf.oregon.gov/firerestrictions/PFR.html
For pre-recorded information on fire season restrictions in the Western Lane District, call ODF’s Veneta office at
541-935-2222 or check out the ODF Western Lane Facebook page.