Wallowa Whitman National Forest announces fall prescribed burns

Published 5:24 pm Tuesday, September 12, 2023

UNION COUNTY — Fire management officials at the Wallowa Whitman National Forest announced that the department is preparing to implement the fall prescribed burning.

Prescribed burns are highly weather dependent and many areas in the forest are currently in good condition for a successful prescribed burn thanks to the late August storms, higher humidity and lower temperatures, according to a news release from the Wallowa Whitman National Forest. Before starting a prescribed burn, officials take into consideration a wide variety of factors, including wind speed and direction, temperatures, relative humidity and fuel moisture.

“Frequent, low-intensity fire is essential for healthy forests and reducing the risk of uncharacteristic wildfire caused by excessive fuel buildup. Prescribed burning is an effective tool for removing excessive amounts of brush, shrubs, and trees, while also encouraging the growth of native vegetation,” fire management officials said in the press release.

The national forest has an online, interactive map to display all planned burning activities. The map provides information on the burn — such as acreage and status — and the forest service contact for each burn. Every prescribed burn follows a burn plan and all burns are monitored until there is a season ending rain or snowfall.

The Wallowa Whitman National Forest works closely with the Oregon Department of Forestry and the Washington Department of Natural Resources to meet both state’s smoke management plans. The impacts are evaluated before each burn and efforts are made to minimize smoke impacts to communities.

The forest service acknowledged in the press release that the prescribed burn season coincides with hunting season, which impacts hunters and their use of the land. If a burn calls for a temporary trail or road closure those will go into effect prior to the burn and last until burn operations conclude, typically between two and five days.

The department recommends that hunters do not use or camp in burned-out areas. Following a burn there can be a lot of unstable elements in the environment, including the ground and trees.