ODF declares fire season in Central Oregon District

This year’s fire season will begin Friday at 12:01 a.m. for the Oregon Department of Forestry’s Central Oregon District. Warm spring temperatures have quickly melted the winter snowpack and dried wildland fuels, officials said Thursday.

District fire managers have monitored fuel indices over the last few weeks to determine fire danger and the risk of fire spread. Long-term weather forecasts indicate a pattern of above-normal temperatures with minimal possibility of precipitation, further drying fuels.

With implementation of fire season, burn permits issued earlier this spring may not be valid. Check with your local Oregon Department of Forestry office before burning. Industrial slash and debris burning will no longer be allowed on ODF-protected lands.

Landowners are encouraged to check burn piles/areas that were burned earlier this spring or late last fall for any hold-over heat.

In addition to these restrictions, logging and other industrial operations must meet requirements for fire prevention, such as fire tools, water supply, and watchman service when those operations are occurring on lands protected by ODF. Contact your local stewardship forester for more information.

Recreationists are asked to put fire prevention into practice and be deliberate with your actions. Make sure campfires are DEAD OUT! Never leave a fire unattended. Clear the area around your campfire, removing flammable material outside the campfire. Fully extinguish cigarettes and properly dispose of them.

The public is also reminded that sky lanterns and the use of tracer ammunition or exploding targets is illegal within the District during fire season.

COD had 16 more human-caused fires in the 2015 fire season than the 10-year average (2005-2014), which accounted for 60 percent of the total fire starts in the District for 2015.

“We can’t predict when and how many lightning fires we will get, but we can reduce the number of human starts by being smart and deliberate in our actions,” said Central Oregon District Forester Mike Shaw.

For additional information on ODF’s Central Oregon District, including contact information and unit offices, please visithttp://odfcentraloregon.blogspot.com/