B & B Complex Fire closures to be lifted in most areas

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Deschutes National Forest officials will authorize entry into areas the B&B Complex and Link Fires burned last summer in the Sisters Ranger District starting Saturday, April 17.

Visitors may then enter burned areas on foot or horseback. They may also drive on many roads on the east side of the fires, including the entire length of Forest Service Road 12. Open roads will be posted with orange dots on signs at intersections, but off-road travel remains prohibited.

Forest officials instituted closure orders last July and August to protect public safety and limit resource damage where the fires burned 75,335 acres on the district. Willamette National Forest officials rescinded their B&B Complex Fire closure order last November.

Initially, Deschutes National Forest officials denied access wherever the fire burned. They amended closure orders on September 29 so motorists could drive on roads between the Metolius River and the fire's east side, after professional fallers cleared snags.

Many roads will remain closed to vehicular traffic until fallers remove dead and fire-damaged trees from about 290 miles of road.

"We're using a progressive system so people will be able to use low-elevation, well-traveled roads as soon as possible," said Kris Martinson, a Deschutes National Forest community relations specialist.

Officials will place orange dots on more road signs as the snow melts and fallers remove the most dangerous hazard trees.

Winter storms forced many dead trees to the ground. However, fallers have not removed hazard trees in most areas and officials ask visitors be vigilant for falling trees.

"Be aware of where you're stopping, resting or setting up a tent," Martinson said.

Fire-damaged trees can pose hazards for many years after a fire occurs. The B&B Complex Fire scorched mixed-conifer stands with thousands of insect-killed trees that partially burned. Two firefighters were struck by snags during suppression efforts and had to be hospitalized. In February, a forest worker had a very close call from a falling snag.

Some roads will remain closed this summer while contractors replace seven large culverts and three bridges within the fire area on Brush, First and Abbot Creeks.

Agency engineers will set up signs, barricades and detours on Forest Service Roads 12, 1210, 1230 and 1280 at different times May through September.

Sisters Ranger District managers have also restricted motorized vehicle use in the area because of soil erosion, noxious weed and wildlife concerns.

Off-highway vehicle and automobile use where the fire burned can affect erosion by undermining roads, compacting soils, loosening rocks and increasing runoff.

Fifty noxious weed sites, encompassing 305 acres, are within the fire area. Deschutes National Forest botanists learned from previous fires that noxious weed infestations increased by 60 percent one to two years following blazes.

Weeds are often spread by the undercarriage and wheels of vehicles. Officials plan to limit further weed infestations by restricting vehicle use on roads and in administrative sites.

Metolius Wildlife Management Unit hunters might be affected by the restrictions during the general turkey season, held locally April 15 to May 31.

Steve George with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife said most local hunters will be stalking the birds along Green Ridge. The ridge stretches along the eastern edge of the Metolius Basin and was unaffected by the fire.

Recreation managers have closed the North Shore Suttle Lake Loop Trail until they can repair three bridges and rebuild the trail where it runs between the shore and Highway 20.

In addition, Martinson said the fire destroyed two bridges on the Suttle Tie Trail, a route popular with local hikers and mountain bikers. The trail will remain open, but the bridges won't be replaced until early summer, she said.