NORTH POWDER — Joint prescribed fire operations among the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, the U.S. Forest Service and Oregon Department of Forestry are planned to begin this fall.

According to a press release, the initial prescribed burn unit includes approximately 200 acres within the North Powder Tract of the Elkhorn Wildlife Area and the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest.

Operations will occur as conditions allow, which is typically early to mid-fall. Completion is expected by November for the initial unit.

A collaborative agreement is in place to complete approximately 1,100 additional acres between 2024 and December 2027.

Public access to all other portions of the wildlife area and adjacent Forest Service lands will remain open during the project, including the campground at Anthony Creek.

Hunters are advised to plan ahead, check for road and trail closures, and avoid camping in designated prescribed burn areas during the 2023 hunting season.

This year’s project is the first of several planned units in the area. In total, the project area is approximately 1,300 acres. Prescribed fire is a management activity used to enhance habitat for elk, deer and other wildlife species and improve forest stand health.

Work being done at the Elkhorn Wildlife Area is part of the East Face Project, a joint collaborative with the Forest Service, USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service and ODF.

The East Face Project was identified as an opportunity to address forest health and protect state, private and federal forestlands from potential catastrophic fire. Work will be focused along the joint western boundary of the North Powder Tract and the National Forest boundary.

Operations will provide increased forage production for deer and elk and create snags and cavity habitat, while also protecting Oregon Conservation Strategy habitats such as aspen woodlands and ponderosa pine forest.

ODFW’s wildlife area staff are responsible for the management, operation and maintenance of the property. Elkhorn is part of a working landscape where livestock grazing and timber harvest assist with habitat management goals.