Pile Burning to begin on the Malheur National Forest
By Mindy Gould on Friday, October 13th, 2023 in Eastern/Southeast Oregon News More Top Stories
John Day, Prairie City and Hines-With the onset of cooler weather, fire resources on the Malheur National Forest are preparing to implement pile burning operations beginning as soon as this week and continuing through the next several months. Fire management officials will select pile burning units in project areas based on favorable weather conditions. Project areas that are being monitored for potential pile burning, of which will be completed as conditions allow, are:
Blue Mountain Ranger District:
- Galena Project Area
- Big Mosquito Project Area
- County Road 18 Project Area
- Starr Project Area
Prairie City Ranger District:
- Elk 16 Project Area
- Summit Project Area
The piles are concentrations of leftover woody materials associated with vegetation management activities conducted to help maintain and restore forest and ecosystem health while reducing hazardous fuels. Removing these large accumulations of hazardous fuels during the fall and winter months are a part of an ongoing effort to reduce wildfire risk.
Pile burning implementation is weather dependent and will be conducted only under appropriate conditions to ensure safety. These conditions include temperature, wind, fuel moisture, and smoke weather forecast. When all these criteria are met, firefighters implement, monitor, and patrol the burn to ensure it meets forest health and public safety goals including air quality.
As desired conditions are met, detailed information will be released on prescribed fires that will be conducted. Prescribed fire information for the Malheur, Umatilla, and Wallowa-Whitman National Forests is available to the public on a tri-forest online map. The map is labeled and color-coded to show each burn unit’s status: planned, active, or completed. Additionally, forest users can view other features including current and past-year burn units, National Forest boundaries and State wildlife management boundaries.
For additional information about the Malheur National Forest, visit www.fs.usda.gov/malheur or call the Supervisor’s Office at 541-575-3000.
