CTUIR pleased with Rx burns
By Terry Murry on Friday, October 29th, 2021 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
MISSION – This month, controlled burns on the Umatilla Indian Reservation involved three areas totaling about 2,440 acres. The largest burn, totaling 1,700 acres, was the first on the reservation to have been started by aerial ignition.
Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation Interim Deputy Executive Director Matthew Johnson said that while the method of clearing out the dense, dry underbrush has modernized, it has its roots in Tribal history.
“That’s a management tool that Indian people used a long time ago, and something that is still much needed,” he said.
Johnson said that Michael Jackson and Jeff Casey of the Bureau of Indian Affairs Umatilla Agency coordinated the efforts, and there was a large cast of support personnel. Those included support from Warm Springs, the Oregon Department of Forestry and the Umatilla National Forest. Coordination and communication efforts were also aided by the CTUIR Department of Natural Resources, Umatilla Tribal Fire Department and the BIA.
“Prescribed burning is something that’s beneficial in the big picture and something that can help us to limit the risk of those really catastrophic fires happening next summer,” Johnson said.
