BLM plans pile burning near Eagle Crest

Cooler temperatures across Central Oregon will allow Prineville Bureau of Land Management fuels specialists to begin burning in the Cline Buttes area, south of Eagle Crest Resort and east of Cline Falls Highway, in and beside the Maston non-motorized recreational area.

Two of these prescribed burn units are on the east side of the Deschutes River and burning may begin there as early as Wednesday.

As conditions allow, specialists expect operations to continue for several weeks as they burn piles of previously cut juniper totaling approximately 676 acres.

The piles are leftover slash material associated with previous vegetation management activities (including wood utilization) which are intended to prevent the possibility of high intensity fires in the wildland urban interface and restore old-growth juniper woodlands.

No road closures are anticipated with this project. However, smoke could be visible from Redmond and the surrounding areas.

Smoke could impact visibility along the Cline Falls Highway, on neighboring private land, SW Jaguar Road and Quarry Avenue on the east side of the Deschutes River, and Newcomb Road and Harper Road on the west side of the Deschutes River.

If smoke drifts onto roads, motorists should slow down, turn on headlights, and proceed with care. Once ignited, piles are monitored by firefighters until they are declared out.

Fuels specialists will follow policies outlined in the Oregon Department of Forestry smoke management plan, which governs controlled burns, and attempts to minimize impacts to visibility and public health.

For more information, visit the Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center (COIDC) website at http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/centraloregon/fire and follow us on twitter @CentralORFire.