October 27, 2022 3:25 a.m.

With widespread rain and cooler temperatures across the state, all Oregon Department of Forestry districts will be out of fire season as of this Saturday, ending the 2022 fire season.

A release from the Oregon Department of Forestry said the start and end of fire season are set by each fire protection district based on the conditions in their area. The arrival of steady, soaking rain coupled with cooler temperatures and shorter day lengths usually triggers the closure of fire season. The end of fire season removes restrictions on ODF-protected lands intended to prevent wildfire, such as on backyard debris burning and the use of certain equipment. Many structural fire departments in Oregon, however still require a permit for debris burning, so residents should check with their local fire department before starting a burn.

The release said year to date, there have been 844 fires on ODF-protected lands, which resulted in 34,105 acres burned and 96 percent of fires put out at 10 acres or less. The department deployed incident management teams to three fires this year: The Rum Creek Fire in the Southwest Oregon District, the Van Meter Fire in the Klamath District and the Nakia Creek Fire in Washington. Statewide to date, regardless of jurisdiction, there have been 1,975 fires that have burned 436,772 acres.

ODF said the successes of the 2022 fire season are due in part to the early detection systems that the department has in place and from Oregonian’s continued commitment to wildfire prevention. The department saw a significant decrease in human-caused fires this year with 1,918 acres burned on ODF-protected lands. That is compared to the 10-year average of 68,479 acres burned from human-caused fires.

More information is at: https://www.oregon.gov/odf/pages/index.aspx