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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (April 24, 2019)
Wednesday, April 24, 2019 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon BURNING: Fire is natural part of forest ecosystem Continued from page 1 the resilience the forest had 100 years ago. Fire was part of that. Fire made the forest resilient. It cleaned the for- est 4 and it didn9t burn like it does now.= Reed says that, <prescribed fire is the most ecologically sound tool= to get that job done. It9s not necessarily the most popular tool, which the Forest Service well under- stands. Just as the days turn nice and warm and people are getting outdoors and enjoying the fresh spring air 4 there9s smoke in it. And sometimes that smoke settles in across communities. <We9re always looking for the best wind and atmo- spheric conditions to direct smoke away from communi- ties,= Reed said. However, she acknowledges, <Whatever residual smoke is left has some impact.= When night falls and winds die, when an inversion layer settles down, smoke can run down Indian Ford Creek and settle, or seep into Sisters. That has an impact, and sensi- tive persons can get on a list to be notified of burning so they can take precautions. However, Reed notes, data collected since 2010 shows that prescribed burning con- tains relatively low particulate matter and is short-duration 4 compared to weeks of dense, nasty smoke from blazes like the 2017 Milli Fire that inun- dated Sisters with smoke and had a major economic impact. <The tradeoff is more smoke, more unhealthy condi- tions during wildfire season,= Reed said. Beginning as early as Thursday, April 25, fuels spe- cialists with the Sisters Ranger District will begin ignitions on various units totaling approxi- mately 1,000 acres across the spring season. Individual units are scattered across three sep- arate project areas: Highway 20/Indian Ford Road (IFR), Sisters Area Fuels Reduction (SAFR), and Flymon projects (see map). The Forest Service notes that <Temporary trail closures will be in effect on small por- tions of the Metolius-Windigo trail (Trail # 99) beginning approximately one mile south of the Sisters Cow Camp, extending roughly .5 miles to the south during prescribed fire and patrol operations on SAFR 131.= No road closures are antic- ipated with any of the projects although drivers may expect traffic control along Highway 20 and Highway 242 during periods of time when dense smoke may limit visibility. Traffic control measures are anticipated north of Sisters along Indian Ford Road (Forest Service Road 1102). Smoke from IFR26/35 may impact all communities north of Highway 20 includ- ing the following located in the Indian Ford drainage, Cascade Meadow Ranch, Aspen Lakes, Camp Polk, and Wilt Road. Smoke from pre- scribed burn units within the Sisters Area Fuel Reduction Project (SAFR) may impact the town of Sisters, Crossroads, Tollgate, Cascade Meadow Ranch and Camp Polk communities. Residents and businesses in the area of these prescribed burns are advised to keep their windows and doors closed during the night-time hours in an effort to avoid poten- tial smoke impacts. If smoke drifts on to local roads, motor- ists should slow down, turn on headlights, and proceed with care. Fuels specialists will fol- low policies outlined in the Oregon Department of Forestry smoke management plan, which governs pre- scribed fires, and attempts to minimize impacts to visibil- ity and public health. Once ignited, units are monitored and patrolled until they are declared out. For more information and to sign up for prescribed fire text alerts, visit the interac- tive website at http://www. centraloregonfire.org/ or visit www.fs.usda.gov/deschutes and follow on Twitter @ CentralORFire. Your Care Can Treat You or Your r Allergy All A ll For m mptoms s s T TODAY! AY Y! Symptoms llergy F A $10 OF ntment! Appo ir i es 5-1-19 Exp WALK-IN • URGENT CARE • OCCUPATIONAL MEDICINE • X-RAY 541-548-2899 3818 SW 21st Pl. Hwy. 126 to Redmond, two turns and a you’re there! (Near fairgrounds) YourCareMedical.com 23