The Chemult Ranger District, Fremont-Winema National Forest plans to implement the Boundary prescribed burn on Friday, September 13, 2019. Favorable weather conditions have created a window of opportunity to successfully treat up to 13,000-acre prescribed burn located 10 miles southwest of Chemult. Aerial ignitions will be in use and planned fire activities are expected to last 2 to 4 days. Parts of Deschutes County are seeing some smoke impacts from this burn.
The primary objective of the prescribed burn is to safely reduce the build-up of dead/down and live surface fuel to a historic fire-adapted ecosystem. The area will also be less susceptible to severe impacts if a wildfire occurs in the future.
The treatment area starts approximately 4 miles west of the Diamond Lake Junction (U.S. Highway 97 and State Highway 138). The boundary extends 7 miles south of Highway 138 to the junction of Forest Service Road 70 and the Forest boundary, and from the western edge of the Forest, boundary bordering Crater Lake National Park.
Smoke may be visible during and after ignitions from parts of Highway 97, Highway 138, and surrounding areas. Fire managers are working closely with local air districts and the Oregon Air Resources Board to mitigate the effects of the smoke to the public and local air sheds.
Firefighter and public safety are the highest priorities. Traffic controls will be in place on Forest Roads 70 and 7015 during fire operations. Fire personnel, vehicles and equipment may be present. The public is asked to watch for prescribed fire signs, be aware of changing conditions/fire operations and, drive safely.
Please check the current forest conditions before planning a forest visit. During prescribed fire operations, forest visitors will not be allowed within the treatment area. Information on current conditions is available at the Chemult Ranger District, located at 110500 Hwy 97 N or at 541-365-7001 or, online at www.fs.usda.gov/fremont-winema
Prescribed burn updates are also available at
www.scofmp.org/rx_fire.shtml or https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/
