Prescribed burns watched; new ones planned

All prescribed fires that were implemented this past week across Central Oregon are being monitored and patrolled and likely will produce smoke through the weekend and into next week, officials said Saturday.

Due to visibility concerns in the Lava Cast Forest, the Hoffman Island Trail and FS Road 9720 will remain closed between FS Road 800 and FS Road 9710 in the Lava Cast Forest through the weekend, Saturday’s update from the Central Oregon Fire Management Service said.

As conditions allow, next week or the following, fuels specialists expect to burn approximately 22 acres two miles north of Clarno near the Clarno Bridge and five acres adjacent to the Mitchell ODOT station to provide winter forage for deer and elk.

Fuels in these units are light, so operations are expected to have a short duration. Operations near Clarno will be visible from Highway 218 and operations near the Mitchell ODOT station will be visible from Highway 26; there may be some short duration smoke impacts to these Highways.

For more information, visit the Ochoco/Deschutes website at www.fs.usda.gov/centraloregon and follow the agencies on twitter @CentralORFire.