BLM plans to finish delayed pile burning in Cline Buttes area
PRINEVILLE, Ore. (KTVZ) — With recent snow and forecast continued cold and wet conditions, fuels specialists with the Bureau of Land Management Prineville District are planning again to complete pile burning in the Cline Buttes area, west of Tumalo and north of Highway 20, off Fryrear Road.
This project is scheduled to begin on Monday, December 16, and should take about two days to complete. The burn was originally planned for late November, but was canceled due to warmer weather.
NewsChannel 21 is waiting to hear if the pile burning will take place as scheduled, on Monday, following the winter weather seen in the area.
The piles contain leftover woody debris from a thinning project designed to reduce the risk of wildfires in the wildland urban interface near the to communities in the Cline Buttes and Cloverdale area.
By burning the piles, crews are removing the branches, needles and underbrush that could contribute to higher wildfire intensity during the summer season. Where possible, larger material from thinning projects is first offered for other uses such as firewood, posts and poles or for biomass use.
Main roads in the area will be signed to inform residents and the public of the prescribed fires. No road closures or delays are expected; however, some smoke may settle into nearby homes in the evenings. BLM Fire/Fuels personnel, along with the Cloverdale Rural Fire Department, will monitor the burn during and after implementation.
Implementation of all prescribed fire requires favorable weather windows that consider temperature, relative humidity, moisture in the form of rain/snow, and wind conditions for larger activity piles.
Prescribed fires will only be implemented when the conditions are right to meet the objectives of the burn and when smoke impacts communities can be minimized. All prescribed fire areas will be monitored and patrolled during and following ignitions until declared out. Prescribed burns are completed in accordance with the Oregon Department of Forestry Smoke Management Plan.
For more information about prescribed fires and/or the Prineville District’s Fuels Program, please contact the Prineville BLM at (541) 416-6700.
