No burning in the Eugene-area for the remainder of the week

All burns in the Eugene-area were completed by 16:20 this afternoon. Conditions are not favorable for additional burning in Eugene-area for the remainder of the week, nor this coming weekend.

Burning planned in west Eugene on October 14-15

Favorable winds are forecast for Wednesday and Thursday (October 14-15) for burning in west Eugene. Burning is planned for Willow Creek (#8), Greenhill (#5), and East Kirk (#3).

Burning planned for Sunday near Eugene

Burning planned for Sunday for Units 2 (Long Tom), 3 (East Kirk), & 8 (Willow Creek). Another day of northeast wind is forecast, which is necessary to protect air quality in Eugene.

Burning Applegate units today (October 3rd)

Most of the planned burn units in the vicinity of Fern Ridge Reservoir received rain early this morning, however the Applegate units north of Elmira are still dry and will be burned first; if the other units dry out and the winds remain favorable for keeping the Valley smoke-free the units north of Fern Ridge may be burned this afternoon.

Burning planned near Fern Ridge Reservoir on Saturday, October 3rd

Planning to burn units 1, 2, 3, & 4 tomorrow, Saturday October 3rd. Ignition will likely begin at the Spires Unit around 10:00. There is still a chance of rain tonight, which would likely delay ignition until noon or later. Depending on how burning goes Saturday, there appears to be favorable weather to burn the Willow Creek units (#8) on Sunday. The current weather forecast indicates a switch to northwest wind starting Monday, which would preclude additional burning in the west Eugene area.

Burning planned to begin October 1st in the Eugene-Springfield area

Wildfire danger has sufficiently decreased, and the winds are forecasted to become favorable for ecological burning sourthern Willamette Valley starting October 1st.  Tentative plans are for burning in the Mount Pisgah area first due to favorable northwest winds. If the weather is as forecasted, Units 9 and 10 would be ignited starting in the late morning, with ignition operations complete in the afternoon.

Winds are forecast to switch to a northeasterly flow starting Saturday, which would be favorable for transporting smoke away from planned burns in the West Eugene Wetlands. The current weather forecast is uncertain as to whether the cut-off low that is bringing the wind shift will also bring any rain to western Oregon.  If significant rain does occur, this will likely preclude burning.

Planned burn units in the southern Willamette Valley

A larger-scale map of the burns planned in the vicinity of west Eugene.

A larger-scale map of the burns planned in the vicinity of Mount Pisgah.

Notification letters have been mailed to neighboring landowners

Notification letters were mailed out this week to all owners of taxlots located within 1/4 mile of planned burn units. Burning is dependent upon weather and the regional and national wildfire situation. Burning will not occur until the Northwest Preparedness Level has decreased to 3 (meaning that adequate firefighters are available for the current and anticipated wildfires). The weather also needs to be such that the fire operations would be safe, produce the desired effects, and smoke would minimally impact residents. Current weather forecast is not favorable for burning, and consequently no burning is anticipated for the week of September 12.

We are currently experiencing technical difficulty with our Prescribed Fire Information Line. Normally, the current status of burning is available on a recording at 541-683-6970.

South Eugene Meadows

Work on the South Eugene Meadows has begun.

Crew members from the Middle Fork Ranger Station cutting and piling.

 

South Eugene Meadows is a a 193 acre property south of the city of Eugene. This is one of the project sites under the South Ridgeline project, Crew will be working on a tree removal project, focusing on thinning and restoration of the project site.

South Ridge Project

South Ridgeline Project

 

The South Ridgeline project would implement the actions identified in the Lane County Wildfire Protection Plan and subsequent City of Eugene South Ridgeline Fire Fuel Reduction Project. The purpose is to reduce long term risk to people, property, and critical infrastructure from wildfire hazards through community education and reduction of fuel loads in the heavily forested 2,000 acres of public lands in the South Ridgeline area of Eugene, Oregon.

Residential land uses, invasive species, overstocked forests, and changes in the climate have resulted in decadent forest conditions heavily loaded with fuels. These heavy fuel loads combined with steep slopes and inaccessible areas along more than 20 miles of ridgeline make the public parkland vulnerable to fire suppression challenges and pose a significant wildfire risk to thousands of residents and their homes, critical communication towers, transmission power lines, other electric utilities, water reservoirs, and critical infrastructure.

The Project Goals:

1). Implement landscape-scale fuels reduction treatments to reduce the risk of damaging wildfires in the WUI areas of the Ridgeline to create a more fire resilient landscape;

2). Promote public awareness, engage participation, and enhance partnerships through education, outreach and coordination of diverse and representative groups of the City of Eugene’s population.

3). Implement and maintain greater coordination among local, state, and federal land management agencies and private landowners to effectively prioritize hazardous fuels treatments, and provide the framework for reducing the risks and consequences of wildland fire to the community