Forest Service prepares for prescribed fires

As summer rolls to an end and fall chill creeps into the morning air, the Sisters Ranger District is preparing for another round of prescribed burning. The burning is designed to improve forest health conditions and to help protect Sisters and outlying forest communities from the threat of wildfire.

Due to relatively mild conditions and periodic moisture through the summer, burning may commence a little earlier than it usually does in the fall.

“It seems the way the weather is shaping up that we could be burning by mid-September instead of late September,” said Jinny Reed, Assistant Fire Management Officer with the Sisters Ranger District.

Burning won’t occur during the period of high temperatures in the immediate forecast.

The District has about 1,000 acres on the docket for fall burning from the Metolius Basin to south of town. However, the District is seldom able to treat all of the acres available during the fall season.

The Metolius Basin is a top priority for fire managers, but location of burning will depend heavily on conditions.

“It all depends on the weather and the direction the wind blows,” Reed said. “We like to keep our options open.”

A 400-acre unit along Highway 20 identified on the accompanying map will not be treated until spring.

As always, those concerned about smoke impacts can sign up for text alerts. Contact the Sisters Ranger District at 541-549-7700.

Reed said that the potentially earlier fall burning actually has a positive impact on smoke considerations.

“The beauty of lighting this early in the year, we can have more daylight hours to lift smoke,” she said.