BLM-Prineville District begins fall pile burning

(Update: Adding La Pine, Williamson Creek projects) As fall weather brings shorter days and cooler temperatures, fuels specialists with the Bureau of Land Management Prineville District Office are preparing for the fall/early winter prescribed burn program. As early as Nov. 20 — and continuing through the next few months, depending on conditions — specialists will treat a variety of units with prescribed fire across Central Oregon. These prescribed burns are planned in the following areas: Prineville Lake Acres Project: 136 acres of hand piles 12 miles south of Prineville. Cline Buttes Prescribed Fire: 80 acres of hand piles, in the Cline Buttes area approximately eight miles west of Redmond. Tumalo Ponderosa Pine Project: 135 acres of machine and hand piles three miles west of Tumalo. La Pine Hand Pile Project: 143 acres of piles 1.5 miles east of La Pine State Park; adjacent to State Rec and Whittier roads.
Williamson Creek Project, Unit 1: 491 acres of hand piles located one mile west of Millican Road and Reservoir Road (Four Corners Intersection). The piles are concentrations of leftover materials from previous thinning projects designed to remove hazardous fuels that can burn during summer wildfires. Material was first offered for firewood, commercial sale, or biomass use; with some remaining material scattered to rehabilitate sites and close user-created routes. The projects are each expected to take several days, and crews will move between each project depending on site specific weather. Main roads in the area will be signed to inform residents of the prescribed burn and no road closures or delays are expected. Piles may smolder, burn, and produce smoke for several days after ignition. Smoke may settle in overnight, and where necessary, motorists should reduce speeds and turn on headlights. In addition, fuels specialists are also hoping for favorable weather to begin winter prescribed burning in the High Desert Shrub Steppe Project nine miles south of Brothers, Oregon. There, firefighters will burn up to 7,300 acres of juniper slash in four units. These cuts were designed to reduce the spread of wildfire in critical Greater Sage-Grouse habitat and to decrease the number of juniper trees available to serve as perches for raptors and other grouse predators. This prescribed burn will be visible from Highway 20; however, smoke is not expected to impact visibility and no closures or delays are expected. All prescribed burning is highly dependent on favorable temperature, moisture and wind conditions. Each of these prescribed burns will be started when the conditions are right to meet the objectives of the burn, while minimizing smoke impacts to any nearby communities. All prescribed burn areas will be patrolled during and following ignitions. Prescribed burns are completed in cooperation with the Oregon Department of Forestry smoke management plan. For more information about prescribed burning, please contact the Prineville BLM at (541) 416-6700, or see a complete listing of all the upcoming prescribed burning activities in your area at http://www.centraloregonfire.org/.