Prescribed burn set for Crooked River Grassland

Fire managers plan to burn 512 acres of juniper “jackpots” on the Crooked River National Grassland on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, officials said.

This type of prescribed fire, known as “jackpot burning,” addresses high concentrations of naturally occurring or thinning-related downed woody debris.

The juniper piles are left over from a large thinning project in the Willow Creek watershed to remove junipers and restore range conditions and water availability.

Officials say burning these units will improve critical winter range for big game and provide better summer grazing conditions while reducing hazardous fuel loading to lower the risk of large-scale wildfire across the landscape.

The burn units are located about 9 miles southeast of Madras, on both the east and west sides of Highway 26, near Ramms Road and the Rimrock Springs Wildlife Management Area. No trail closures are anticipated but light smoke will be visible from the highway.

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

For more information, visit http://www.centraloregonfire.org/ or follow us on Twitter @CentralORFire