Prescribed burn planned Tuesday near Camp Sherman

Fuels specialists plan to ignite a 119-acre prescribed burn in the Metolius Basin area on Tuesday .

The planned burn area, located two miles to the north of the Camp Sherman and Metolius Meadows communities, is on the west side of Forest Road 1420 and is west of House on the Metolius. No road or trail closures are expected.

Ignitions are planned for mid-morning. Communities located near the listed burn areas can expect to see residual smoke impacts following the ignitions of these units. Fire crews will continue to patrol and monitor all burns for several days after ignitions.

As part of the Metolius Basin Forest Management Project, this prescribed burn will help to restore the forest to healthier conditions, reduce and remove dense vegetation that contributes to high intensity wildfires and protect communities and watershed.

Prescribed burning will be completed by fire staff from the Deschutes and Ochoco National Forests and Prineville BLM, as well as, students from the annual Central Oregon Prescribed Fire Training Exchange (TREX) program, an interagency collaboration to expand education surrounding prescribed fire.

For all prescribed burns, fuels specialists follow policies outlined in the Oregon Department of Forestry smoke management plan, which governs prescribed fires, and attempt to minimize impacts to visibility and public health. Once ignited, units are monitored and patrolled until they are declared out.

For more information, visit the interactive Deschutes National Forest website at https://www.fs.fed.us/r6/webmaps/deschutes/cofms-rxfire/ and follow us on Twitter @CentralORFire.