Prescribed Burns Planned for Thursday and Friday south of Bend

BEND – If conditions remain favorable, firefighters on the Deschutes National Forest are planning ignitions south of Bend and east of Sunriver on Thursday and Friday.

On Thursday, May 3, firefighters are planning ignitions on the Bon units 6-8 totaling 140 acres located between Highway 97 and Abbot Pit. Bon units 13-14 are located between Abbot Pit and the Powerline Road south of Forest Road 9720 and are also scheduled for ignition on Thursday. On Friday, firefighters are planning to ignite Bon 15 and Lavacast 9 for a total of 69 acres. These units are located in the same area as Bon units 13 and 14.

Burning in this unit is designed to decrease hazardous fuels accumulations within the Wildland Urban Interface near to the city of Sunriver and surrounding values at risk to reduce the risk of high intensity wildfire as well as reintroducing fire into a fire adapted ecosystem.

Due to the location of these units, the public could see smoke and drivers may experience smoke impacts on nearby highways and Forest roads. For all prescribed fires, signs will be posted on significant nearby Forest roads and state highways that could be impacted.  Electronic sign boards will be utilized to help reduce speed and keep traffic flowing. No road closures are anticipated with these projects. The public is encouraged to close their windows at night and if smoke is on the roadway, turn on headlights and slow down while traveling through smoky areas. The public’s health is important to the Forest Service. While significant preventive measures are taken, many factors influence a person’s susceptibility to smoke, including severity and duration of smoke exposure and a person’s health. If individuals feel impacted by smoke, they should avoid outdoor physical exertion and remain indoors. If people experience serious health impacts from the smoke, they should contact their doctor. For more information about smoke and health, visit the Oregon Health Authority recommendations through this link: http://www.oregon.gov/oha/PH/Preparedness/Prepare/Pages/PrepareForWildfire.aspx#health

Fuels specialists will follow policies outlined in the Oregon Department of Forestry smoke management plan, which governs smoke from prescribed fires (including pile burning), and attempts to minimize impacts to visibility and public health.

Keep up with prescribed burns in Central Oregon by visiting this live map: http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/webmaps/deschutes/cofms-rxfire/

For more information, visit the Deschutes website at www.fs.usda.gov/deschutes and follow us on twitter @CentralORFire. 

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