Willamette Valley Prescribed Fire

August 8, 2013 Dear Resident:  We wanted to let you know that there will be a controlled burn taking place in your area sometime in the coming months. The Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Land Management, City of Eugene, Fish and Wildlife Service, Lane County and The Nature Conservancy plan to conduct controlled burning on lands in the southern Willamette Valley to protect and restore valuable biological diversity in prairie and savanna ecosystems.  Burning is planned on up to 1,000 acres between now and the end of October. Individual burn units, shown on the attached map, range from less than an acre to 182 acres. The Willamette Valley was once dominated by prairies rich with a diversity of grass and wildflower species. This ecosystem requires regular disturbance to maintain native species and prevent conversion to a closed woodland or forest. This disturbance was historically provided by native people through regular intentional burning, and accomplished several biological goals like improved seed germination, removal of built up thatch, and short term soil fertilization.  All of these factors help native, fire-dependent species, such as camas, flourish after a site is burned.  In addition, controlled burns reduce the risks of wildfires to local residences through the removal of standing dead vegetation. We work hard to protect the community from potential negative impacts of fire. Experienced and highly trained fire crews plan and manage fires using detailed burn plans with extensive prescriptions for conducting the burn to provide maximum protection for the community.  We mow breaks around the perimeter of each burn unit to prevent fire from traveling outside area.  The Lane Regional Air Protection Agency reviews our plans each year, specifying conditions under which burns may proceed.  We carefully consider weather conditions and burn only on days when the wind will blow smoke away from residential areas. For this reason, we usually cannot specify days burning will occur more than 24 hours in advance.  If you would like to receive pre-burn notification for a particular unit, please contact Michael Mascari at mmascari@blm.gov or (541) 683-6415. We will also have a fire information line at 541-683-6970. We will post updates throughout the burn season on the Willamette Valley Prescribed Fire Facebook page; go to http://www.facebook.com and search for “Willamette Valley Prescribed Fire.” Interactive maps are also hosted on our new blog site www.willamettevalleyprescribedfire.blogspot.com.