18
Wednesday, April 21, 2021 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Bu safely
Burn
afely — or not at all
The adage April showers bring
May flowers is being tested this
spring. And while the unseasonably
dry weather is pulling Oregonians
outside, it9s also spurring firefight-
ers into action.
The year 2021 has already pro-
duced nearly three times the aver-
age number of fires to date; many of
which have resulted from escaped
backyard debris burn piles, accord-
ing to the Oregon Department of
Forestry. As of April 13, 70 fires
have burned 402 acres on Oregon
Department of Forestry protected
lands, 40 of which came from debris
burning that accounted for 154 acres.
The 10-year average for all fires by
this date is 24 fires for 225 acres.
While fire season has not offi-
cially started, experts say to watch
the conditions and not the calendar.
<Just because fire season has not
been declared does not mean fire
danger does not exist,= said ODF
Fire Prevention Coordinator Tom
Fields. <The window of opportunity
to clean up around homes and dis-
pose of woody debris in a safe man-
ner is narrowing each year. Now is
the time to reassess and wait for bet-
ter conditions.=
Some jurisdictions, like the City
of Sisters, do not allow outdoor
burning of debris at all. Fields says
A FireFree yard debris disposal
event is set for Sisters area:
Northwest Transfer Station
68200 Fryrear Rd., Cloverdale
May 26-June 5, Wed.-Sat.
8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Dispose of grass clippings, brush, plant
prunings, pine needles, pine cones, weeds,
trimmings and branches, stumps or trees
(no larger than 12 inches in diameter). Such
debris will be accepted for free. The transfer
station will not accept sod, dirt, rocks,
lumber, metal, trash, or plastics of any kind,
including plastic bags, and any stumps
or trees larger than 12 inches in diameter.
that if burning is your choice of
debris disposal, the window to burn
this spring may already be closed
and that it may be best to wait until
late fall or winter to burn debris
safely. When conditions warrant,
follow these simple steps.
" Place yard debris in an open
area away from structures, trees and
power lines.
" Create small piles (4-by-4-feet)
to better manage the burn.
" Cover portions of piles with
polyethylene plastic (landscape
material) to keep a portion dry for
lighting later (preferably in late fall
or winter).
" When conditions improve,
check with your local fire agency for
any regulations in place.
" Never burn under windy
conditions.
" To maintain containment, create
a perimeter around the pile at a mini-
mum of 3 feet, scraped clear to bare
mineral soil.
" Keep a shovel and charged hose
nearby to manage the burn.
" Make sure the pile is dead out
before leaving.
Return periodically over several
weeks to make sure the pile is still
out: No heat, no smoke.
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