SALEM, Oregon — The cooler, wetter weather has allowed the first controlled burns to be lit in parts of Oregon this fall. News rules may allow more of these burns than in the past.
Known as prescribed fires, these regulated burns are lit when weather conditions will minimize smoke getting into smoke-sensitive receptor areas and wilderness areas, such as Crater Lake National Park.
Oregon Department of Forestry officials believe increasing the amount of burning will help landowners reduce the public safety risk from the buildup of fuels in forests, and improve forest health.
“The prescribed burns the public may see in coming weeks are done only when weather conditions are favorable for burning. We look to burn on days where air movement will disperse the smoke so public health is protected," said Nick Yonker, Oregon Department of Forestry meteorology manager.
ODF said the public should know that fire season may still be in effect where they live or camp, so check first before lighting backyard debris piles or making a campfire.
The weeks just before heavy fall rains set in are considered ideal for burning, since those rains and colder temperatures reduce the chance a burn will reignite and start a wildfire.
To learn if a controlled burn is planned in your area, visit the Daily Burn Plans page on ODF’s website found here.
