May 31, 2024 2:50 a.m.
Fire Season on lands protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry’s Southwest Oregon District begins on Saturday.
Public Information Officer Natalie Weber said the fire danger level will be low and the Industrial Fire Precaution Level will be at 1. Weber said lands affected by this declaration include 1.8 million acres of state, private, county, city and Bureau of Land Management forestlands in Josephine and Jackson counties.
The release said spring rain, snow and cooler weather patterns allowed for a fairly fire-free spring in southern Oregon up until mid-March. Since then, the ODF Southwest Oregon District has responded to 14 fires, all human caused. These fires were stopped at a total of 10 acres all together.
With the beginning of fire season, these activities will be prohibited:
*No debris burning, including piles and debris burned in burn barrels.
*No fireworks on or within 1/8 of a mile of ODF protected land.
*Exploding targets and tracer ammunition, or any bullet with a pyrotechnic charge in its base, are prohibited.
*Campfires are allowed in designated campgrounds, and on private land with the landowner’s permission. Portable stoves using liquified or bottled fuels may be used in areas clear of vegetation at any time.
*Smoking while traveling will only be allowed in enclosed vehicles on improved roads, in boats on the water and other specifically designated locations.
Other restrictions will be in place as well. For complete information about the ODF’s Fire Season regulations, go to: www.swofire.com Details are also on the agency’s Facebook page and its X account.