Prescribed burn brings Bend ‘unhealthy’ air quality

(Update: Smoke clears, Monday’s planned burn postponed)

A 150-acre prescribed burn a mile west of Bend went well on Sunday, sending up a billowing plume of smoke visible over a wide area. But the smoke drifted and settled into town overnight, causing pollution levels to rise to “unhealthy” levels for a time Monday morning.

NewsChannel 21’s Emily Kirk said fairly calm winds were light out of the west, sending the smoke into the city early Monday. Cooler overnight temperatures also caused the smoke to settle in.

A real-time air quality index map showed Bend in the “unhealthy for sensitive groups” category shortly before daybreak, the Oregon Department of Air Quality’s Bend monitoring station reported “moderate” pollution levels had dropped to “unhealthy” for all by later in the morning, even though the smoky haze in town had lightened and skies cleared somewhat. Things improved markedly by late morning.

Kirk noted that the Bend area is forecast to get some northerly winds, which should help push the smoke to the south, and skies were markedly clearer by midday — when the Deschutes National Forest also announced that Monday’s planned burn in the same area had been postponed

The eyes of Central Oregonians out and about Sunday on a gorgeous blue-sky Earth Day had turned toward a familiar sight — a smoke plume, in this case from a prescribed burn just a mile west of town.

Ignitions began late Sunday morning on the 150-acre Rimrock RX burn at Rimrock Trailhead south of the Cascade Lakes Highway in a spot formerly known as the “Good Dog” off-leash dog area.

The off-leash area was closed while burning operations were underway. Officials said it went well and was complete by late afternoon, while the trailhead will be closed through mid-week, while crews mop up and monitor the unit.

Reintroducing fire into this area, adjacent to Bend, will reduce hazardous fuels accumulations within the wildland-urban interface near Bend and reintroduce fire into a Ponderosa pine ecosystem, the Forest Service said late last week.

Additional burns were scheduled for Monday and Tuesday west of Bend, if conditions remained favorable. On Monday, firefighters were planning for ignitions on Shevlin Block 9, a 77-acre unit on the north side of Skyliners Road, but officials said it was being postponed. Another burn is scheduled Tuesday at West Bend COD #7, a 109-acre unit immediately north of the Rimrock Trailhead area, on the north side of Cascade Lakes Highway.

As always, precise wind and weather conditions must be met in order to execute these burns and if conditions change, these burns will be postponed.

Due to the location of these units, the public could see smoke and drivers may experience smoke impacts on nearby highways and forest roads. 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. The public is encouraged to close their windows at night and if smoke is on the roadway, turn on headlights and slow down while traveling through smoky areas.

The public’s health is important to the Forest Service, the agency said. While significant preventive measures are taken, many factors influence a person’s susceptibility to smoke, including severity and duration of smoke exposure and a person’s health. If individuals feel impacted by smoke, they should avoid outdoor physical exertion and remain indoors. If people experience serious health impacts from the smoke, they should contact their doctor. For more information about smoke and health, visit the Oregon Health Authority recommendations through this link: http://www.oregon.gov/oha/PH/Preparedness/Prepare/Pages/PrepareForWildfire.aspx#health

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

Keep up with prescribed burns in Central Oregon by visiting this live map: http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/webmaps/deschutes/cofms-rxfire/

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