Sisters Ranger District continues pile burning through the week
SISTERS, Ore. (KTVZ) — Sisters Ranger District fuels specialists plan to conduct eight acres of landing pile burning operations along Forest Service Road 12, located 15 miles northwest of Sisters. Ignitions are slated to begin Tuesday and last through Friday, if conditions remain favorable.
No road or trail closures are anticipated. Smoke impacts are expected to be minimal; however, smoke may be visible from the greater Sisters area, Camp Sherman and along Highway 26 between Sisters and Santiam Pass.
Once ignited, piles are monitored by firefighters until declared out. Piles may smolder, burn, and produce smoke for several days after ignition.
While smoke may linger in the area, there is a real benefit to burning this type of vegetation., the Forest Service said The piles are concentrations of leftover materials associated with previous vegetation management activities intended to remove hazardous fuels during the Lionshead Fire. The work was conducted utilizing the Good Neighbor Authority as a combined effort in fuels reduction between the Oregon Department of Forestry and the Forest Service.
When smoke is present, motorists should reduce speed and turn on headlights. All efforts will be made to limit smoke impacts to area neighborhoods and communities. The possibility exists for smoke to settle in low-lying areas due to cool night-time temperatures. Residents in areas near burn operations are encouraged to close windows at night to avoid possible smoke impacts.
For more information on hazardous fuels reduction projects in Central Oregon, visit the interactive website at http://www.centraloregonfire.org/ or visit www.fs.usda.gov/deschutes and follow us on Twitter @CentralORFire. For further questions contact the Sisters Ranger District at (541) 549-7700.
