Sisters smokes in spring

In the name of forest health and the protection of human dwellings adjacent the forest, the Sisters Ranger District has rekindled their annual ritual of controlled burning in Sisters' backyard.

As part of the Natural Fuels Reduction Program, the "Underline Project", one mile west of Tollgate off Forest Road 1012, got the torch on Thursday, April 16.

According to District Fire Fuels Specialist Mark Rapp, this area was once proposed for a timber sale due to the concentration of large trees.

Today, with decreased logging and many years of fire suppression, the Underline Project is dangerously primed for a wildfire.

"This area is way overstocked," Rapp said. "These trees were never this dense."

Protection of the 'urban interface' between residential areas and the forest is the primary focus of Rapp's work.

However, he adds that, "In the big scheme, forest health is (achieved) by putting fire back into in a fire dependent ecosystem."

The forests around Sisters developed with naturally occurring fires that burned every 4-20 years, with 9-11 years being the average.

Regular burning allowed younger trees to get sunlight and cleared the forest floor of debris, enriching the soil and making way for new growth.

According to Rap, fire suppression policy developed with European settlement in the early 1900s, when a number of lives were lost due to human caused fires.

"Smokey Bear was invented in the 1950s as the Forest Service's fire prevention icon," Rapp said. "(He is still) a good tool for educating primarily young kids about preventing human caused fires."

Rapp will celebrate his 10th anniversary with the Sisters Ranger District this year. He assumes the role of "burn boss" on the Underline Project.

Together with the "fire boss", Rapp supervises the ignition of the project area. The "holding boss" keeps the burn within the designated containment area.

Rapp estimates that less than 1 percent of the controlled burns escape their control, and great care is taken to burn in just the right conditions.

Initially, Rapp identifies the unit to be burned and gathers a crew of firefighters from the district. He then checks the weather - especially temperature, wind and humidity.

Some wind is desirable to disperse the smoke, but too much wind could cause the fire to escape. The available trees, brush, and debris must be dry enough to burn, and humidity must be low.

The crews set a test fire ranging from a spot fire to one acre in size.

If conditions are right, the burning begins.

The 110-113 acre Underline Project was burned as a "strip head fire". A strip of forest is ignited along the east access road to the project, and parallel strips are burned towards the west.

This allows the westerly winds to blow fire only into previously burned areas.

Rapp watches wind shift closely and monitors the weather on an hourly basis. Care is taken not to burn large down logs which serve as wildlife habitat.

When the project is completed, the forest floor will be opened up for (birds of prey), and the trees will be less susceptible to insects and disease.

And as for the 'urban interface', residents of Tollgate will live with reduced risk of a wildfire in their backyard.