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09202021 Malheur National Forest Fire Staff Work to Plan Fall Prescribed

Related Incident: Prescribed Fire Projects 2021

Publication Type: News Mon, 09/20/2021 - 12:00

John Day, Hines, and Prairie City, OR. — (September 20, 2021) The Malheur National Forest Fire Staff realize that prescribed burning is an essential part of fuels management in the Pacific Northwest. We anticipate having environmental conditions conducive for successful implementation of prescribed burning in the next couple weeks. We await regional conditions and direction to start implementing our plan.

Locally, the District Fuels Specialists will be having conversations with District Rangers (Agency Administrators) to ensure that all understand the risks and rewards and are all operating under the same vision to initiate broadcast, understory, or jackpot burns. There will also be coordination with our forest neighbors to be as efficient and least impactful to the public as we can while still accomplishing disturbance on the ground.

Malheur Forest Fire Staff will be addressing many of these details over the next few weeks to month, depending on how long this fire season continues. We recognize we’re still supporting our neighbors in the Pacific Northwest and California. This will be taken as efficiently and appropriately as possible while continuing to take care of each other through this challenging fire season.

With the potential for smoke to settle in certain areas during active operations, the public can monitor the smoke and air quality in our area and across the state by visiting, http://oregonsmoke.blogspot.com/.

Additional information regarding prescribed burning on the Malheur National Forest is available by viewing the Prescribed Fire Activity interactive map, by visiting www.fs.usda.gov/malheur or call the Supervisor’s Office at 541-575-3000.

08132021 Murderers Creek 6 Prescribed Fire Unit Still Visible

Related Incident: Prescribed Fire Projects 2021

Publication Type: News Fri, 08/13/2021 - 12:00

John Day, Prairie City and Hines, OR. – (August 13, 2021) Malheur National Forest Fire staff continue to patrol and monitor previously burned prescribed fire units.

There are no prescribed fire units on the Malheur National Forest currently planned for active prescribed fire ignition. With the recent extreme dry heat, the Murderers Creek unit 6 has begun to produce visible smoke for the past few days, as seen in the attached image. There is a small pocket that is consuming the unburned fuels and is within the unit inside of control lines. When a prescribed fire is initiated resources work from the outside of the unit to widen control features to buffer these lines (roads and hand lines). This adds depth to the fire perimeter. Consuming fuels more completely in this manner makes it harder for a fire to move at high rates towards the perimeter, lessening the likelihood of the fire to escape (or exit) the unit. The intent is to let the fire consume the interior pockets of unburned fuels. It won’t likely be put out and mopped up. The perimeters of the fire are patrolled daily by suppression resources and Flagtail lookout has a good view of the prescribed fire. Photos taken by the lookout will be uploaded daily on the Prescribed Fire Operations Inciweb page: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7426/ . Smoldering fire is exposed to the sun and heat, this could increase activity. Potential for slight increases in flame length which would result in additional smoke creation is likely to occur. This may cause additional smoke and be visible from distances further away. The majority of unburned islands are well interior of the boundary of the unit. Mosaically burned areas along any boundaries (of all units) will be patrolled on a regular basis. Public can expect to see fire resources in the unit areas. For the safety of firefighters and the public, roads and areas of prescribed fire activity will be signed. Please avoid these areas so as not to interfere with ongoing operations. For safety, roads, trails and areas may need to close temporarily as firefighter operations are taking place. Smoky conditions may also reduce visibility to a level that would require additional temporary closures. During prescribed fire operations, there is potential for impacts to camping and hunting. Hunters are advised to plan ahead, for their safety they should not camp in or near an area of prescribed fire activity. With the potential for smoke to settle in certain areas during active operations, the public can monitor the smoke and air quality in our area and across the state by visiting, http://oregonsmoke.blogspot.com/. Additional information regarding prescribed burning on the Malheur National Forest is available on InciWeb at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7426/ or by viewing the Prescribed Fire Activity interactive map at USFS R6 Tri-Forest Prescribed Fire Map. For further information on the Malheur National Forest, please visit us at www.fs.usda.gov/malheur or call the Supervisor’s Office at 541-575-3000.

07152021 Prescribed Fire Operations Update

Related Incident: Prescribed Fire Projects 2021

Publication Type: News Thu, 07/15/2021 - 12:00

John Day, Prairie City and Hines, OR. – (July 15, 2021) Malheur National Forest Fire staff continue to patrol and monitor previously burned prescribed fire units.There are no prescribed fire units on the Malheur National Forest currently planned for active prescribed fire ignition over the next week.

All 3 districts will have resources patrolling previously burned units. Public can expect to see smoke and low to moderate fire activity in Murderers Creek 6, Soda Bear 4, and Galena 30 on the Blue Mountain Ranger District. Smoke will be visible from the Elk 16 units on the Prairie City district, and on the Emigrant Creek district, in Silvies units 7 and 12.

Murderers Creek unit 6 will continue to consume unburned fuel along the north aspects of the unit boundaries. This burn was ignited the week of May 9th. When a prescribed fire is initiated resources work from the outside of the unit to widen our control features to buffer these lines (roads and hand lines). This adds depth to our fire perimeter. Consuming fuels more completely in this manner makes it harder for a fire to move at high rates towards the perimeter, lessening the likelihood of the fire to escape (or exit) the unit. The intent is to let the fire consume the interior pockets of unburned fuels. It won’t likely be put out and mopped up. The perimeters of the fire are patrolled daily by suppression resources and Flagtail lookout has a good view of the prescribed fire. Photos taken by the lookout will be uploaded daily on the Spring Prescribed Fire Operations Inciweb page: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7426/ No new images had been added to the page in the past week due to the holiday and changes to Public Use Restrictions and Industrial Fire Precaution Levels taking precedent.

Smoldering fire is exposed to the sun and heat, this could increase activity. Potential for slight increases in flame length which would result in additional smoke creation is likely to occur. Individual and group tree torching inside the unit may occur under certain conditions. This may cause additional smoke and be visible from distances further away. The majority of unburned islands are well interior of the boundary of the unit. Mosaically burned areas along any boundaries (of all units) will be patrolled on a regular basis. Public can expect to see fire resources in the unit areas burned this spring.

For the safety of firefighters and the public, roads and areas of prescribed fire activity will be signed. Please avoid these areas so as not to interfere with ongoing operations. For safety, roads, trails and areas may need to close temporarily as firefighter operations are taking place. Smoky conditions may also reduce visibility to a level that would require additional temporary closures. During prescribed fire operations, there is potential for impacts to camping and hunting. Hunters are advised to plan ahead, for their safety they should not camp in or near an area of prescribed fire activity.

Spring operations reduce surface fuels, increase height of some canopy, reduce small tree densities, and help promote fire resilient trees, thereby improving our ability to protect communities from wildfire. Additionally, these prescribed fires improve wildlife habitat, promote long-term ecosystem integrity and sustainability by reducing the risk of high-severity wildland fire.

With the potential for smoke to settle in certain areas during active operations, the public can monitor the smoke and air quality in our area and across the state by visiting, http://oregonsmoke.blogspot.com/. Additional information regarding prescribed burning on the Malheur National Forest is available on InciWeb at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7426/ or by viewing the Prescribed Fire Activity interactive map at USFS R6 Tri-Forest Prescribed Fire Map.

For further information on the Malheur National Forest, please visit us at www.fs.usda.gov/malheur or call the Supervisor’s Office at 541-575-3000.

06282021 Prescribed Fire Operations Update

Related Incident: Prescribed Fire Projects 2021

Publication Type: News Mon, 06/28/2021 - 12:00

John Day, Prairie City and Hines, OR. – (June 28, 2021) Malheur National Forest Fire staff continue monitoring conditions across the Forest, including temperature, relative humidity, and fuel moisture. There are no prescribed fire units on the Malheur National Forest currently planned for active prescribed fire ignition over the next week.

Blue Mountain, Prairie City, and Emigrant Creek Ranger Districts will monitor conditions and reassess for the following week for additional ignitions. All 3 districts will have resources patrolling previously burned units. Public can expect to see smoke and low to moderate fire activity in Murderers Creek 6, Soda Bear 4, and Galena 30 on the Blue Mountain Ranger District. Smoke will be visible from the Elk 16 units on the Prairie City district, and on the Emigrant Creek district, in Silvies units 7 and 12. Murderers creek unit 6 will continue to consume unburned fuel along the north aspects of the unit boundaries. The photos display light smoke from the Murderers Creek 6 unit viewed from Flagtail Lookout and an example of the terrain and fuel conditions where one may see smoke and flame. The white ash is where a downed log was consumed completely due to its lack of moisture. The log to the right is smoldering due to presence of moisture within it. As the hot and dry conditions continue, the log will continue to lose moisture and it will slowly burn up. As any smoldering fire is exposed to the sun and heat, that activity could increase. Potential for slight increases in flame length which would result in additional smoke creation is likely to occur. The majority of unburned islands are well interior of the boundary of the unit. Mosaically burned areas along any boundaries (of all units) will be patrolled on a regular basis. Public can expect to see fire resources in the unit areas we’ve burned this spring. For the safety of firefighters and the public, roads and areas of prescribed fire activity will be signed. Please avoid these areas so as not to interfere with ongoing operations. For safety, roads, trails and areas may need to close temporarily as firefighter operations are taking place. Smoky conditions may also reduce visibility to a level that would require additional temporary closures. During prescribed fire operations, there is potential for impacts to camping and hunting. Hunters are advised to plan ahead, for their safety they should not camp in or near an area of prescribed fire activity. Spring operations reduce surface fuels, increase height of some canopy, reduce small tree densities, and help promote fire resilient trees, thereby improving our ability to protect communities from wildfire. Additionally, these prescribed fires improve wildlife habitat, promote long-term ecosystem integrity and sustainability by reducing the risk of high-severity wildland fire. All prescribed burn activity is weather and condition dependent. With the potential for smoke to settle in certain areas during active operations, the public can monitor the smoke and air quality in our area and across the state by visiting, http://oregonsmoke.blogspot.com/. Additional information regarding prescribed burning on the Malheur National Forest is available on InciWeb at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7426/ or by viewing the Prescribed Fire Activity interactive map at USFS R6 Tri-Forest Prescribed Fire Map. For further information on the Malheur National Forest, please visit us at www.fs.usda.gov/malheur or call the Supervisor’s Office at 541-575-3000.

06182021 News Release Prescribed Fire Operations Update

Related Incident: Prescribed Fire Projects 2021

Publication Type: News Fri, 06/18/2021 - 12:00

John Day, Prairie City and Hines, OR. – (June 18, 2021) After carefully monitoring conditions across the Forest, fire officials have determined that conditions are within specific parameters, including temperature, relative humidity, and fuel moisture to start prescribed fire operations in specifically planned units.

·       Blue Mountain Ranger District– crews will continue ignitions on Soda Bear 4a today and tomorrow. Crews will continue patrolling Murderers Creek 6. There may be a potential for ignitions on Galena next week.

·       Emigrant Creek Ranger District – will patrol areas of ignition in Marshall Devine (MD), used for guard school/rookie training.

·       Prairie City Ranger District – will patrol the 2 acres in Merit 8 that were part of guard school/rookie training. Crews will continue patrolling Elk 16 C.

For the safety of firefighters and the public, roads and areas of prescribed fire activity will be signed. Please avoid these areas so as not to interfere with ongoing operations. For safety, roads, trails and areas may need to close temporarily as firefighter operations are taking place. Smoky conditions may also reduce visibility to a level that would require additional temporary closures. During prescribed fire operations, there is potential for impacts to camping and hunting. Hunters are advised to plan ahead, for their safety they should not camp in or near an area of prescribed fire activity.

Spring operations reduce surface fuels, increase height of some canopy, reduce small tree densities, and help promote fire resilient trees, thereby improving our ability to protect communities from wildfire. Additionally, these prescribed fires improve wildlife habitat, promote long-term ecosystem integrity and sustainability by reducing the risk of high-severity wildland fire.

All prescribed burn activity is weather and condition dependent.

With the potential for smoke to settle in certain areas during active operations, the public can monitor the smoke and air quality in our area and across the state by visiting, http://oregonsmoke.blogspot.com/.

Additional information regarding prescribed burning on the Malheur National Forest is available on InciWeb at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7426/ or by viewing the Prescribed Fire Activity interactive map at USFS R6 Tri-Forest Prescribed Fire Map.

For further information on the Malheur National Forest, please visit us at www.fs.usda.gov/malheur or call the Supervisor’s Office at 541-575-3000.

06142021 News Release Prescribed Fire Operations Update

Related Incident: Prescribed Fire Projects 2021

Publication Type: News Mon, 06/14/2021 - 12:00

John Day, Prairie City and Hines, OR. – (June 14, 2021) After carefully monitoring conditions across the Forest, fire officials have determined that conditions are within specific parameters, including temperature, relative humidity, and fuel moisture to start prescribed fire operations in specifically planned units.

  ·         Blue Mountain Ranger District– crews are planning on possible ignitions on Soda Bear 4a and b (ground ignition up to 1600 acres) Tuesday, June 15 with potential to also begin ignitions in Starr units 6 & 7, 644 acres.

·         Emigrant Creek Ranger District – will have less than 1 acre of ignition in Marshall Devine (MD) B as part of the guard school/rookie training on Thursday, June 17. No plans at this time for ignitions in the Silvies 7 unit this week.

·         Prairie City Ranger District – will be burning 1-2 acres in Merit 8 for Prairie City’s guard school/rookie training just west of Logan Valley, Thursday, June 17.

For the safety of firefighters and the public, roads and areas of prescribed fire activity will be signed. Please avoid these areas so as not to interfere with ongoing operations. For safety, roads, trails and areas may need to close temporarily as firefighter operations are taking place. Smoky conditions may also reduce visibility to a level that would require additional temporary closures. During prescribed fire operations, there is potential for impacts to camping and hunting. Hunters are advised to plan ahead, for their safety they should not camp in or near an area of prescribed fire activity.

Spring operations reduce surface fuels, increase height of some canopy, reduce small tree densities, and help promote fire resilient trees, thereby improving our ability to protect communities from wildfire. Additionally, these prescribed fires improve wildlife habitat, promote long-term ecosystem integrity and sustainability by reducing the risk of high-severity wildland fire.

All prescribed burn activity is weather and condition dependent.

With the potential for smoke to settle in certain areas during active operations, the public can monitor the smoke and air quality in our area and across the state by visiting, http://oregonsmoke.blogspot.com/.

Additional information regarding prescribed burning on the Malheur National Forest is available on InciWeb at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7426/ or by viewing the Prescribed Fire Activity interactive map at USFS R6 Tri-Forest Prescribed Fire Map. For further information on the Malheur National Forest, please visit us at www.fs.usda.gov/malheur or call the Supervisor’s Office at 541-575-3000.

06112021 News Release Prescribed Fire Operations Update

Related Incident: Prescribed Fire Projects 2021

Publication Type: News Fri, 06/11/2021 - 12:00

John Day, Prairie City and Hines, OR. – (June 11, 2021) After carefully monitoring conditions across the Forest, fire officials have determined that conditions are within specific parameters, including temperature, relative humidity, and fuel moisture to start prescribed fire operations in specifically planned units.

Blue Mountain Ranger District– will be conducting rookie/guard school training fire today. It will be conducted between 1000 and 1630 today and will be no more than one acre in size. They will be utilizing a small portion of Starr Unit 22 on the NW corner of Bear Valley for this exercise.

Emigrant Creek Ranger District – No burning over the upcoming weekend. The district will assess an additional 200 acres in Silvies 7 to burn next week, once the temperature and relative humidity come into prescription.
Prairie City Ranger District –The district will consider burning 1-3 acres in Merit 8 for Prairie City’s guard school/rookie training just west of Logan Valley the week of June 14.

For the safety of firefighters and the public, roads and areas of prescribed fire activity will be signed. Please avoid these areas so as not to interfere with ongoing operations. For safety, roads, trails and areas may need to close temporarily as firefighter operations are taking place. Smoky conditions may also reduce visibility to a level that would require additional temporary closures. During prescribed fire operations, there is potential for impacts to camping and hunting. Hunters are advised to plan ahead, for their safety they should not camp in or near an area of prescribed fire activity.

Spring operations reduce surface fuels, increase height of some canopy, reduce small tree densities, and help promote fire resilient trees, thereby improving our ability to protect communities from wildfire. Additionally, these prescribed fires improve wildlife habitat, promote long-term ecosystem integrity and sustainability by reducing the risk of high-severity wildland fire.

All prescribed burn activity is weather and condition dependent.

With the potential for smoke to settle in certain areas during active operations, the public can monitor the smoke and air quality in our area and across the state by visiting, http://oregonsmoke.blogspot.com/.

Additional information regarding prescribed burning on the Malheur National Forest is available on InciWeb at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7426/ or by viewing the Prescribed Fire Activity interactive map at USFS R6 Tri-Forest Prescribed Fire Map.

For further information on the Malheur National Forest, please visit us at www.fs.usda.gov/malheur or call the Supervisor’s Office at 541-575-3000.

06072021 Prescribed Fire Operations Updates

Related Incident: Prescribed Fire Projects 2021

Publication Type: News Mon, 06/07/2021 - 12:00

John Day, Prairie City and Hines, OR. – (June 7, 2021) After carefully monitoring conditions across the Forest, fire officials have determined that conditions are within specific parameters, including temperature, relative humidity, and fuel moisture to start prescribed fire operations in specifically planned units.

·       Emigrant Creek Ranger District fire crews are tentatively planning to begin ignitions on 200 acres in Silvies 7, Tuesday, June 8. Silvies 7 is south of National Forest System (NFS) road 31.

·       Prairie City Ranger District crews continue to monitor for smoke and hot spots on Elk 16 units C and Qa. Crews are beginning prep work on Unit FB, there is not set date for ignitions on this unit as of now.

·       Blue Mountain Ranger District crews will continue to patrol Galena 30 and Murderers Creek 6 this week.

For the safety of firefighters and the public, roads and areas of prescribed fire activity will be signed. Please avoid these areas so as not to interfere with ongoing operations. For safety, roads, trails and areas may need to close temporarily as firefighter operations are taking place. Smoky conditions may also reduce visibility to a level that would require additional temporary closures. During prescribed fire operations, there is potential for impacts to camping and hunting. Hunters are advised to plan ahead, for their safety they should not camp in or near an area of prescribed fire activity.

Spring operations reduce surface fuels, increase height of some canopy, reduce small tree densities, and help promote fire resilient trees, thereby improving our ability to protect communities from wildfire. Additionally, these prescribed fires improve wildlife habitat, promote long-term ecosystem integrity and sustainability by reducing the risk of high-severity wildland fire.

All prescribed burn activity is weather and condition dependent.

With the potential for smoke to settle in certain areas during active operations, the public can monitor the smoke and air quality in our area and across the state by visiting, http://oregonsmoke.blogspot.com/.

Additional information regarding prescribed burning on the Malheur National Forest is available on InciWeb at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7426/ or by viewing the Prescribed Fire Activity interactive map at USFS R6 Tri-Forest Prescribed Fire Map.

For further information on the Malheur National Forest, please visit us at www.fs.usda.gov/malheur or call the Supervisor’s Office at 541-575-3000.

06032021 Prescribed Fire Updates

Related Incident: Prescribed Fire Projects 2021

Publication Type: News Mon, 06/07/2021 - 12:00

· Emigrant Creek Ranger District – No burning over the upcoming weekend. The district will assess an additional 200 acres in Silvies 7 to burn next week, June 8-9, once the temperature and relative humidity moderates.

· Prairie City Ranger District –The district will consider burning Elk 16 FB (1000 ac) late next week if conditions allow. They will patrol units Elk 16 C and Qa over the weekend.

· Blue Mountain Ranger District–The district has finished ignitions on Galena unit 30 (714 ac) off the Middle Fork of the John Day River today. They will assess conditions for Galena units 41 and 40C (1000 ac total) starting Friday and into the weekend with hand and helicopter ignitions possible if conditions are conducive. Soda Bear and Starr units in the vicinity of Seneca are being evaluated for ignitions over the next 2 weeks as well.

06022021 Prescribed Fire Update

Related Incident: Prescribed Fire Projects 2021

Publication Type: News Wed, 06/02/2021 - 12:00

Prescribed Fire Operations Update

John Day, Prairie City and Hines, OR. – (June 2, 2021) After carefully monitoring conditions across the Forest, fire officials have determined that conditions are within specific parameters, including temperature, relative humidity, and fuel moisture to start prescribed fire operations in specifically planned units. · Emigrant Creek Ranger District – No burning over the past weekend. The district will assess an additional 200 acres in Silvies 7 to burn this upcoming weekend, June 5-7, once the temperature and relative humidity moderates. · Prairie City Ranger District – Completed burning 140 acres out on Elk 16 QA, Buttermilk Creek area over the past weekend. All three Districts and the Airbase provided resources to assist. The district will consider burning Elk 16 FB (1000 ac) later next week, starting June 10-11.

· Blue Mountain Ranger District—The district will begin ignitions in Galena unit 30 off the Middle Fork of the John Day River today and will continue with aerial ignitions utilizing a helicopter if conditions are conducive for Thursday- Sunday. The unit is 714 acres. For the safety of firefighters and the public, roads and areas of prescribed fire activity will be signed. Please avoid these areas so as not to interfere with ongoing operations. For safety, roads, trails and areas may need to close temporarily as firefighter operations are taking place. Smoky conditions may also reduce visibility to a level that would require additional temporary closures. During prescribed fire operations, there is potential for impacts to camping and hunting. Hunters are advised to plan ahead, for their safety they should not camp in or near an area of prescribed fire activity. Spring operations reduce surface fuels, increase height of some canopy, reduce small tree densities, and help promote fire resilient trees, thereby improving our ability to protect communities from wildfire. Additionally, these prescribed fires improve wildlife habitat, promote long-term ecosystem integrity and sustainability by reducing the risk of high-severity wildland fire. All prescribed burn activity is weather and condition dependent. With the potential for smoke to settle in certain areas during active operations, the public can monitor the smoke and air quality in our area and across the state by visiting, http://oregonsmoke.blogspot.com/. Additional information regarding prescribed burning on the Malheur National Forest is available on InciWeb at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7426/ or by viewing the Prescribed Fire Activity interactive map at USFS R6 Tri-Forest Prescribed Fire Map. For further information on the Malheur National Forest, please visit us at www.fs.usda.gov/malheur or call the Supervisor’s Office at 541-575-3000.

Figure 4. Elk 16 C, fuels reduction.

Figure 3. Elk 16 C, low burning flame.

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