Forecasted weather favorable for prescribed burning on Ochoco National Forest
Prineville, Oregon — After a hiatus from prescribed burning the last five days due to regional air stagnation, forecasted weather conditions favorable to burning on the Ochoco National Forest will allow fire managers to resume burning on Tuesday and Wednesday this week. The National Weather Service “air stagnation” warning will be lifted Tuesday morning. Forecasted winds show south to southwest winds coming into the area, which are expected to push the smoke out of communities in Crook County. A chance of rain is forecasted later in the week to follow the planned Tuesday and Wednesday ignitions.
Multiple approaches to vegetation and fuel management have occurred in the areas to be burned. The areas have been logged and thinned, and slash piles burned. One unit near Walton Lake is part of a sheep grazing allotment, and grazing has reduced the accumulation of grasses and other fine fuels. The prescribed burning of the land is a continuation of management to improve forage and habitat in the area. Reintroducing fire back into a fire adapted ecosystem will help lessen wildfire severity in the future.
If conditions remain favorable, firefighters will ignite the 216 acre Claypool Springs unit on Tuesday morning. The unit is located two miles northeast of Spears Meadow off the Forest Service road 2610-150. Following completion of ignitions, holding resources will stay on the unit the remainder of the day, while remaining wildland fire personnel will move to ignite the Canyon 20 unit. Canyon 20 is 371 acres, located a half a mile west of Walton Lake just off of the 22 road. Planned ignitions on Wednesday will be in the Colby 4 unit, a 264 acre unit in the northwest corner of the Maury mountains, 5 miles south/southwest of Post.
For current Central Oregon prescribed fire information visit www.centraloregonfire.org or follow us on Twitter at CentralORfire. For media inquiries, contact Stacy Lacey at (541) 410-5311 or [email protected].
