Roadside meadow slated for burning

Fall has just begun, but already cooler temperatures have prompted the Forest Service to consider resumption of prescribed burns in the Sisters area.

Topping the list is a highly visible meadow known as Black Butte Swamp. The meadow lies along Highway 20 just east of the entrance to Black Butte Ranch.

Mark Rapp, Assistant Fire Management Officer for the Sisters Ranger District, said that the area to be burned includes "all the visible portions of the meadow, from the highway to the edge of the willows."

The purpose of this and other prescribed burns is to eliminate dangerous buildups of potential fire fuels that could result in a costly uncontrolled fire. Much of Central Oregon lies in an area where, historically, natural fires periodically swept the countryside to consume fallen limbs, needles, cones, brush, and other combustible vegetation.

As the region became more densely settled, fires were controlled, causing a steady accumulation of combustible materials on the ground. Prescribed burns are designed to accomplish what natural burns once did--eliminate dangerous accumulations of fuel.

According to forest ecologist Maret Pajutee, the Black Butte Swamp site has been an area of concern since the 1970s, when drought caused a buildup of dying willows and excess thatch in the meadow. Rapp believes that conditions are right for the burn to take place.

This will be only the second prescribed meadow burning to be undertaken in the District. The first occurred last year in Glaze Meadow. In order to achieve success, the burn must be conducted when the grasses and woody materials are dry enough to be completely consumed.

At the same time, in order to insure safety, the fire must be set when high temperatures and low moisture conditions have moderated. On the other hand, if the Forest Service waits too long into the fall, the swamp might once again become...a swamp.

Rapp wants to publicize the Forest Service's burn program as much as possible. "We're trying to keep everyone informed of what we're doing," he said, "so we don't take people by surprise."

The meadow has long been a high-profile location. Designated a "vista unit," a strip of timber along the highway was intentionally logged off some years back to create a panoramic view across the meadow to the mountains.

A temporary result, of course, will be the visual blackening of the meadow. The long term benefit to native grasses, however, is substantial; and the burn is also expected to enhance habitat for threatened and endangered species, such as Peck's penstemon. This low-growing plant is found only in the Sisters area, and nowhere else in the world.

Rapp emphasized that the scheduled burn is very weather dependent. A run of hot temperatures or high winds could postpone the project. If conditions remain favorable, however, black-lining of the area was to begin early this week, with the primary burn to take place on Thursday or Friday.

Black-lining is a process of burning a ten-foot perimeter around the burn site to contain the flames of the final burn. This first stage is conducted by hand, under close supervision, to make sure that the fire does not get away from the project.

The black line, then acts as a fence to hold the larger fire in, since the burned- over perimeter cannot burn again. This process is also used in other prescribed burns, although existing roads are also used for boundaries, wherever possible.

Fire fighting crews, complete with fire engines, will be on scene throughout the process. Other crews will also be kept on standby.

As the burn season progresses, other selected sites in the Sisters region are scheduled for controlled burns. Some of those include areas along the Highway 20 corridor between Sisters and Camp Sherman, near Tollgate and Black Butte Ranch, in the vicinity of the irrigation canal south of Sisters, and a section about three miles southwest of town on the way to Pole Creek.

When winter weather conditions finally begin to close in, one of the last targets of the burning program will be the slash piles that were stacked by inmates over the course of the spring and summer.

The Forest Service realizes that smoke from the burning may irritate some people, but it hopes to minimize problems by publicizing the plans. If people have specific concerns about dates or locations, Rapp invites people with questions to contact him at 549-7642.