ODF fire season ending in C. Oregon
The Central Oregon District of the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) announced that wildfire season will end on Saturday.
The district previously ended Regulated-Use restrictions on Oct. 16. This means that all industrial and non-industrial fire prevention restrictions will be lifted as of the 20th.
“Despite the long and very dry conditions we experienced this summer and fall, the number of human caused fires was well below average,” said District Forester George Ponte. “We want to thank the public for their help in preventing these fires.”
Open burning is now permitted in some areas. Residential burning is regulated by local rural and municipal fire departments. Homeowners should contact them prior to burning to learn about local restrictions.
The burning of logging slash and other forest materials is regulated by ODF, and a burn permit is required year-round. Contact the local ODF office for more information.
Ponte emphasized that people still need to be extremely careful with any open burning and that burning should not be done in windy conditions. Also, he cautioned that no fire should be left unattended.
The Central Oregon District provides wildland fire protection on 2.2 million acres of private and non-federal public lands in Deschutes, Crook, Jefferson, Hood River, Wasco, Wheeler, Grant, Harney, Gilliam and Morrow counties.
