USFS plans fall burning program in Sisters

The Sisters Ranger District is getting ready to begin its fall burn program.

Fire managers will conduct numerous controlled underburns and pile burns aimed at reducing hazardous fuels (mostly brush and woody debris) that can contribute to high-intensity wildland fires.

The burns are also aimed at "restoration of natural fire regimes to fire dependent forests under controlled conditions," according to a Forest Service press release.

Burning is expected to begin as soon as weather conditions become favorable.

Hazardous forest fuel reduction treatments consist of small tree thinning, mechanical mowing of decadent shrub, handpiling and burning of forest debris, and controlled underburning. In the fall, when weather conditions tend to become more favorable, the Forest Service focuses on underburning and pile burning.

There are approximately 2,550 acres of underburning and pile burning planned. The underburning will occur in units associated with the Black Butte Ranch Natural Fuels, Sisters Area Fuels Reduction (SAFR), Underline, Highway 20, Metolius Basin, Heritage Demo, Metolius Research Natural Area, and McCache project areas.

The general locations and approximate acreages are:

• 600 acres between Forest Road 14 and Forest Road 11;

• 94 acres near Black Butte Ranch;

• 111 acres north of Highway 20 and Indian Ford Road junction;

• 151 acres near Graham Butte;

• 276 acres in between Highway 20, Cascade Meadows, and Sage Meadow;

• 300 acres southwest of Sisters and Highway 20;

• 821 acres along Highway 242;

• 199 acres between High-way 242 and Highway 20.

A site map showing further location details will be available at the Sisters Ranger District.

Smoke from burning may impact surrounding communities and Highways 20, 242, Forest Road 11 and Forest Road 14 to Camp Sherman. Fire specialists decide when to burn based on narrow weather parameters, such as when winds will disperse smoke out and away from populated areas, but not so windy as to make burning conditions unsafe.

Smoke often settles in with cooler air in low areas in the evening hours, and may not disperse as readily as predicted. The Forest Service also adheres to the guidelines of the Oregon Department of Forestry's Smoke Management Plan prior to conducting underburns.

In case conditions become smoky in nearby communities, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality recommends the following precautions:

• Close doors and window on structures;

• Stay indoors if possible;

• Avoid strenuous outdoor activities;

• Avoid areas near your home with the highest smoke concentrations;

• Follow breathing management plans if you have asthma or other respiratory problems and contact your health care provider if your condition worsens.

Fire specialists will give nearby residents advanced notice of burning operations if it is requested. Contact Sisters Ranger District Fuels Technicians, Trevor Miller at 549-7638, or Amanda Rau at 549-7680, for further information or to be placed on a notification list.