Prescribed burns planned near La Pine, Sisters

Firefighters are planning prescribed burns about three miles east of La Pine on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Deschutes National Forest officials said Thursday.

On Friday, ignitions are planned for 10 a.m. on Odin units 5 and 6 for a total of 175 acres east of La Pine and north of Forest Road 22.

Firefighters will also be continuing to assist and support the Central Oregon Fire Instructor’s Association in a training for local and volunteer fire agencies by igniting a prescribed burn outside of Sunriver on Maintenance 5H (89 acres) to help and train individuals and agencies better respond to a wildland fire incident. These units are about 1.5 miles west of Sunriver near the junction of Forest Road 41 and Forest Road 4140 and 4180.

Firefighters also were slowing down burn operations Thursday on the 68-acre SAFR 179 unit about 7 miles south of Sisters near Forest Road 1620, due to higher than expected relative humidity. If conditions remain favorable, this unit is scheduled to be completed on Friday.

On Saturday, firefighters will continue burning in Odin units east of La Pine beginning with unit 4 for 343 acres and on Sunday if favorable wind and weather conditions persist, Odin unit 3 (239 acres) will be completed as well.

While no closures are expected with any of these burns, smoke may be visible from state highways and nearby forest roads and drivers may experience smoke impacts. For all prescribed fires, signs will be posted on significant nearby forest roads and state highways that could be impacted. The public is encouraged to close their windows at night and if smoke is on the roadway, turn on headlights and slow down while traveling through smoky areas.

“The public’s health is important to the Forest Service,” the agency said. “While significant preventive measures are taken, many factors influence a person’s susceptibility to smoke, including severity and duration of smoke exposure and a person’s health.

If individuals feel impacted by smoke, they should avoid outdoor physical exertion and remain indoors. If people experience serious health impacts from the smoke, they should contact their doctor. For more information about smoke and health, visit the Oregon Health Authority recommendations through this link: http://www.oregon.gov/oha/PH/Preparedness/Prepare/Pages/PrepareForWildfire.aspx#health

Fuels specialists will follow policies outlined in the Oregon Department of Forestry smoke management plan, which governs smoke from prescribed fires (including pile burning), and attempts to minimize impacts to visibility and public health.

Keep up with prescribed burns in Central Oregon by visiting: http://www.centraloregonfire.org or text “COFIRE” to 888-777 to receive text alerts.

For more information, visit the Deschutes website at https://www.fs.usda.gov/deschutes and follow on Twitter @CentralORFire.