Deschutes County burn season begins Saturday
Deschutes County Fire Chiefs have agreed to open controlled burning within Deschutes County this weekend.
Municipal and rural fire jurisdictions will open burning this Saturday, October 20,, for outdoor burning of debris and agricultural burns with the exceptions noted below.
Black Butte Ranch Fire District will enter a limited burning period that begins October 20 th and runs through Sunday December 2, 2012.
The city of Bend and the city of Sisters have year round bans on outdoor burning within city limits.
Residents are strongly encouraged to contact their local fire protection agencies for specifics or any regulations regarding open burning of debris or agricultural burns. The Chiefs also strongly recommend that those who chose to burn debris do so early in the day, prior to winds picking up that could spread a fire to nearby combustibles.
“While colder temperatures and added moisture decrease the potential for debris burns to escape and become a wildfire hazard, we ask that residents please take special care in burning activities,” adds Chief Koellermeier, Chairman of the Central Oregon Fire Chiefs Association. Fire agencies may make independent changes based on weather and fuel conditions so please review all local regulations before burning activities.
On public lands, the US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management will continue with planned burning projects on federal lands.
As of October 16, 2012 Oregon Department of Forestry is allowing open burning on all ODF protected lands within the ODF forest protection district where rural fire protection district burn bans are no longer in effect. All industrial forest operations burning such as burning of slash or use of prescribed fire and non-industrial open burning such as burning of yard debris or burn barrels within the ODF forest protection district requires a burn permit year round. Landowners who wish to conduct a prescribed burn or burn logging slash related to a forest harvest or thinning operation within the ODF forest protection district should contact their local ODF office directly to secure an ODF burn permit.
