Foresters set to launch spring burning

Sisters Ranger District is getting ready to begin its spring burn program. The program consists of conducting numerous controlled underburns aimed at reducing hazardous fuels (mostly brush and woody debris) that can contribute to high-intensity wildland fires. The burning also is designed for restoration of natural fire regimes.

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

Ongoing fuel reduction treatments consist of small tree thinning, mechanical mowing of decadent shrubs, handpiling and burning of forest debris and controlled underburning. The various treatments are implemented throughout the year by means of workforce partnerships between the U.S. Forest Service and Oregon Department of Forestry.

In the spring, when weather conditions tend to be more favorable, the Forest Service focuses on underburning.

There are approximately 1,400 acres of spring underburning planned. The underburning will occur in units associated with the Black Butte Ranch Natural Fuels, McCache, Highway 20, and Metolius Basin project

areas.

The general locations are:

• 89 acres adjacent to FS 500 Road, directly north of Black Butte Ranch Glaze Meadow driving range.

• 138 acres off Forest Road 14 immediately south of the Head of the Metolius.

• 35 acres adjacent to Camp Sherman Campground.

• 91 acres off the 1419 Road directly north of the Gorge campground.

• 340 acres 1/2-mile southwest of Metolius Meadows community off FS 100 Road.

• 104 acres adjacent to northwest property corner of Cascade Meadow Ranch.

• 147 acres in and around the Highway 20, George McAllister, and 14 Road junction.

• 454 acres along Highway 242 in the proximity of Four Mile Butte.

A site map showing further location details will be available at the Sisters Ranger District or online at http://www.fs.fed.us/

r6/centraloregon/fires.

Smoke from burning may impact surrounding communities and Highways 20, 242, and 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 Trevor Miller, 541-549-7638, or Amanda Rau, 541-549-7680, Sisters Ranger District Fuels Technicians, for more information or to be placed on a notification list.