August 17, 2022
TILLAMOOK STATE FOREST, Ore. – As heat rises in the northwest corner of the state, fire managers increased the fire danger level to High (yellow) for recreationists in the Tillamook State Forest. This change took effect on Tuesday, Aug. 16.
All off-highway trails in the Tillamook State Forest will close at 1 p.m. daily during High (yellow) Fire Danger level. Additionally, all campfires and barbeques are prohibited in undesignated dispersed campsites across the forest.
With fire danger at high, campfires are only allowed across the Tillamook State Forest in designated metal fire rings at campgrounds and camping facilities managed by ODF.
Fireworks, exploding targets/tracer ammunition, sky lanterns are prohibited at all levels during fire season. To find public use restrictions on state forestland or any lands protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry, visit https://www.oregon.gov/odf/fire/pages/restrictions.aspx.
August 15, 2022
SALEM, Ore.— “Frankly, our people have been kicking butt,” said the Oregon Department of Forestry’s Tim Holschbach, Deputy Chief of Policy and Planning for the Fire Protection Division.
As of today, ODF Districts have suppressed 418 fires, and held them to 582 acres total. The 10-year average for this point in the fire season is 590 fires and 56,121 acres burned.
“Although there is a possibility for holdover fires from the recent lightning to add fires to the map, ODF’s firefighters have been doing a remarkable job keeping them small,” Holschbach said.
More people have been the key to knocking out fires on lands the department is responsible for protecting.
“Investments into the wildfire protection system from Senate Bill 762 allowed us to not only hire additional season firefighters to increase response, but also additional full-time positions to increase response capacity year-round,” said Holschbach. “I can’t say how many millions of dollars in firefighting costs we have saved by being able to quickly suppress these fires—keeping them small, off the landscape and out of our communities.”
A big part of putting out wildfires is detecting them early and a key part of that effort is the multi-mission aircraft (MMA) that is in its third season of operation. This unique aircraft was made possible through an investment from the Oregon Forest Land Protection Fund—which consists of landowner dollars paid for fire protection each year.
“The MMA has state of the art thermal cameras that overlay that information through an augment reality mapping system,” said Jamie Knight, ODF State Aviation Operations Specialist. “This ‘eyes in the skies’ asset can then feed that information into a firefighting data base used state-wide called the State of Oregon Fire Situation Analyst system (SOFSA). Our dispatch centers around the state can see those maps and quickly send the best resources to attack the fire.”
Those resources can include ground-based firefighters and equipment, or one or more of the 27 aircraft on exclusive use contracts with the state. The mix of aircraft include eight tankers, five fixed wing detection/aerial supervision aircraft, along with 14 helicopters.
“We have one large tanker, typically based in Medford, Redmond, La Grande or Klamath Falls,” said Knight. “Five wheeled single engine aircraft that operate from smaller airfields like John Day and Prineville, and then we have two fire boss amphibious aircraft that can scoop up water from nearby lakes.”
The other 21 aircraft are based strategically at airfields around Oregon. Each fire district can request any available aircraft from around the state to aid in putting out fires. This aerial response is often key to reach hard to get at fires in remote areas.
“Our aircraft and other fighting equipment is decentralized to allow each of our fire districts to quickly respond to any fire,” said Holschbach. “But our most valuable asset is our people. They live and work in communities they protect, and they have been doing a great job this fire season.”
For more information on ODF’s firefighting efforts, visit ODF’s Wildfire Blog or follow them on ODF’s Facebook account.
August 15, 2022
NORTHWEST, Ore. – As the warmer weather increases the temperatures in the northwest corner of the state, fire managers will be increasing the fire danger level to High (yellow) for recreationists using the forests in the NW-2 and NW-3 weather zones. This change will be effective at 1:00 a.m. on Tuesday, August 16.
All OHV trails in the Nicolai Mountain OHV Riding Area will close at 1:00 pm daily during High (yellow) Fire Danger level. Additionally, all campfires and barbeques are prohibited in the dispersed campsites in the Nicolai OHV Area (Shingle Mill, Viewpoint, Kerry, Plympton) and Lost Lake.
In NW-2 and NW-3 under the fire danger level High (yellow): Campfires are only allowed in designated metal fire pits at the following locations: Henry Rierson Spruce Run Campground, Gnat Creek Campground, Northrup Creek Horse Camp and Beaver Eddy sites in Clatsop County. For other campgrounds, check with the corresponding ODF office.
Burn barrels and residential campfires are not allowed in NW-2 and NW-3 under High (yellow).
Fireworks, exploding targets/tracer ammunition, sky lanterns are prohibited at all levels during fire season.
For up-to-date recorded information about fire season requirements, call 503-325-7215. To request a burning permit or obtain additional information, call 503-325-5451 during business hours.
Public Restrictions Website: https://www.oregon.gov/odf/fire/pages/restrictions.aspx.
August 5, 2022
EUGENE, Ore. – Fire danger level on lands protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry Western Lane District and South Cascade District will increase to “high” (yellow) Saturday, August 6 at 12:01 a.m.
This escalation comes on the heel of recent lightning strikes that caused numerous fires across the Cascades in portions of Lane, Douglas, Deschutes and Klamath counties. With high temperatures and low relative humidity forecasted, the districts are implementing these public restrictions to reduce the risk of human-caused fires as we enter the heart of fire season.
The primary difference between current fire prevention restrictions and those beginning on Saturday affects the public use of power-driven equipment, such as chain saws, mowers, weed eaters, motor vehicle use around fuels, and more.
Other fire prevention regulations that are effect, include:
- No debris burning, including piles and debris burned in burn barrels
- No fireworks on or within 1/8 of a mile of forestlands
- Smoking while traveling will only be allowed in enclosed vehicles on improved roads, in boats on the water and other specifically designated locations
- Exploding targets and tracer ammunition, or any bullet with a pyrotechnic charge in its base, are prohibited
- Campfires are allowed only in designated sites approved by the forester. Portable stoves using liquefied or bottled fuels may be used in other locations, with landowner approval
- Motorized vehicles, including motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles, may not be used on un-improved roads or off-road between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. during high fire danger. The use of motorized vehicles, including motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles, is allowed at all times on improved roads free of flammable vegetation
- Chain saws may not be used between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. during high fire danger. During hours outside of this time frame, chain saws may be used but require that the operator have one shovel and one 8-oz or larger fire extinguisher at the work site. A fire watch is also required for one hour after each chainsaw use
- Cutting, grinding, and welding of metal is not allowed between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. during high fire danger. These activities will be allowed during hours outside of this time frame only if the work site is cleared of potentially flammable vegetation and other materials, and a charged garden hose or one 2 ½ pound or larger fire extinguisher is immediately available
- The mowing of dead or dried grass with power-driven equipment is not allowed between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. during high fire danger. This restriction does not include mowing of green lawns, or equipment used for the commercial culture and harvest of agricultural crops
- Any other spark-emitting internal combustion engine-use not specifically mentioned is not allowed between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. during high fire danger. These activities will be allowed during hours outside of this time frame only if the work site is cleared of potentially flammable vegetation and other materials, and a charged garden hose or one 2 ½ pound or larger fire extinguisher is immediately available
For more information about the Oregon Department of Forestry’s fire season public restrictions, visit https://www.oregon.gov/odf/fire/pages/restrictions.aspx.
August 2, 2022
LA GRANDE, Ore. – Conditions across the region have shifted to a much warmer and drier weather pattern as we reach the height of summer. This shift has prompted Oregon Department of Forestry-Northeast Oregon District to increase public use restrictions on lands protected by ODF, or Regulated Use Closure. The measurements that fire managers use to estimate seasonal fire severity are indicating extreme fire conditions across the region. “This year has been unique with a slow start to warmer and drier conditions. However, with the extreme heat this last week, the vegetation, and fuels have changed dramatically. It does not take long for a fire to ignite and carry with the drier fuels that we are seeing in the district. We must consider our options in reducing the number of preventable fires.” Said Matt Hoehna, Assistant District Forester.
Effective at 12:01 a.m. August 03, 2022, the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) has added additional restrictions to the Public Use Restrictions for lands within the Northeast Oregon District. This declaration places fire prevention restrictions on landowners and the public. The Regulated Use Closure affects private, state, county, municipal, and tribal lands in seven counties: Union, Baker, Wallowa, Umatilla, and small portions of Malheur, Grant, and Morrow Counties.
The Public Use Restrictions (Regulated Use Closure) Extreme include the following fire prevention measures:
- Open fires are prohibited, even at designated campgrounds, including campfires, charcoal fires, cooking fires and warming fires.
- Non-industrial use of chain saws is prohibited.
- Internal combustion engine use, except for motor vehicles is prohibited.
- Smoking is prohibited while traveling, except in vehicles on improved roads, in boats on the water, or at a cleared area.
- Use of motor vehicles, including motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), is prohibited except on improved roads, except for the commercial culture and harvest of agricultural crops.
- Cutting, grinding, and welding of metal is prohibited.
- Mowing of dried and cured grass with power driven equipment is prohibited.
- Use of fireworks is prohibited.
- Any electric fence controller in use shall be: 1) Listed by a nationally recognized testing laboratory or be certified by the Department of Consumer and Business Services; and 2 ) Operated in compliance with manufacturer’s instructions.
Aside from these restrictions, also prohibited is the use of exploding targets and tracer ammunition. Debris burning is prohibited which includes burn piles and burn barrels.
These restrictions shall remain in effect until replaced, suspended, or terminated by additional proclamations. For further information, contact the Oregon Department of Forestry at these local offices:
Current fire restrictions for forestlands in Northeast Oregon can be found at www.bmidc.org. The Northeast Oregon Fire Prevention line is (541) 975-3027.
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To report a fire, call Blue Mountain Interagency Dispatch at (541) 963-7171 or dial 9-1-1.
