Deschutes National Forest plans prescribed burns

Warmer weather has opened up prescribed burning opportunities for the Deschutes National Forest beginning as early as Wednesday.

If conditions remain favorable, fuels specialists are planning to burn 400 acres in the southern-most area of the forest, 40 miles south of Bend near Hole in the Ground on on Wednesday.

This area of the forest was originally burned by fuels specialists in 2003 to reduce natural fuels build-up.

This burn across the same area over a decade later will help maintain the characteristics of reduced fuel loading, which will allow fires to occur more frequently with less intensity and improve the safety of the public and firefighters.

Smoke could be visible from Highway 31. While no closures are anticipated with these operations, if smoke drifts on to roads, motorists should slow down, turn on headlights, and proceed with care. Once ignited, units are monitored by firefighters until they are declared out.

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

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