As fire conditions moderate throughout the Umpqua Valley, officials with the Douglas Forest Protective Association will begin working with farmers, ranchers and landowners to complete prescribed burns throughout the area.
Kyle Reed of DFPA said those burns may be conducted on fields, pastures, and hillsides to promote productive grazing lands for livestock and to improve habitat for wildlife, all while reducing the buildup of flammable vegetation. Reed said burn permits for backyard debris burning, including both debris piles and burn barrels, will not be issued at this time.
The DFPA release said that over the last 5 years, local landowners working with DFPA have completed an average of 3,800 acres of prescribed burns annually throughout the Douglas District. For many agricultural landowners, fire is used as a tool to prepare their lands for the next growing season by removing noxious weeds, brush, insects, and plant disease from their lands. Reed said prescribed burns are also beneficial to firefighters by reducing the buildup of brush and other flammable vegetation through the area, which could be fuel for future wildfires.
The release said before fire is introduced onto the landscape, prescribed burns are made safe by the construction of fire trails around the proposed burn site. In addition, landowners must be able to demonstrate that they have the ability and resources in the form of fire suppression equipment and personnel on site to maintain control of the prescribed burn. Once fire trails are approved by the DFPA and weather conditions are favorable, a permit may be issued to complete the prescribed burn.
Reed said the effects from prescribed burns on populated areas will be minimized by allowing the burns to only take place when both fire conditions and weather patterns are favorable for a safe, effective burn. He said by coordinating when and where prescribed burns occur, the smoke impacts to the surrounding areas can be mitigated.