Prescribed burn S. of Bend has special purpose

Fuels Specialists on the Deschutes National Forest will be igniting a five-acre prescribed burn Thursday about three miles south of Bend. The small plot will be used to help students in a multi-agency Fire Investigation class.

The five-day, multi-agency course will begin on Monday and is designed to train Forest Service and municipal firefighters and law enforcement officers in wildfire investigation techniques.

Students will participate in classroom and field sessions where they will be taught to identify points of origin by detecting burn patterns and protect evidence that could be used in criminal cases for human caused fires.

The prescribed fire area is on the Bend-Fort Rock Ranger District, south of Woodside Ranch. If weather conditions remain favorable, ignitions will begin at 10:00 a.m. and are expected to take less than an hour.

Due to the location of these units, the public could see smoke, although it is unlikely that roads will be impacted by smoke. If smoke does drift onto roads, drivers are encouraged to turn on headlights and slow down. For all prescribed fires, signs will be posted on significant nearby Forest roads and state highways that could be impacted. No road closures are anticipated with this project.

Fuels specialists will follow policies outlined in the Oregon Department of Forestry smoke management plan, which governs prescribed fires, and attempts to minimize impacts to visibility and public health. For more information, visit the Ochoco/Deschutes website at www.fs.usda.gov/deschutes and follow us on twitter @CentralORFire.