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About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 28, 2020)
A6 LOCAL Wallowa County Chieftain Wednesday, October 28, 2020 Forest Service considers regions for prescribed burns By RONALD BOND Wallowa County Chieftain Mark Moeller/U.S. Forest Service A prescribed burn takes place in the Puderbaugh fi re unit in 2018. Puderbaugh is among fi ve prescribed fi re units in Wallowa County, totaling nearly 11,500 acres, under consideration for a prescribed burn this fall, though it’s unlikely all of that acreage will indeed be burned. WALLOWA COUNTY — More than 11,000 acres in the Wallowa Fire Zone and over 20,000 total acres within the Wallowa-Whit- man National Forest are under consideration for a prescribed burn in the com- ing days and weeks should the weather allow it, though it’s unlikely that much land will end up seeing fl ames before snow fl ies. “Between now and the snowfall when the con- ditions are appropriate,” Peter Fargo, public affairs offi cer with U.S. Forest Service, told the Chief- tain of the window being looked at for burns to be conducted. “We’re looking at fuel conditions, weather conditions, and this year in particular we’re prioritiz- ing burn units further away from populated areas and downwind from populated areas.” The prescribed fi res are used as a method of forest management to clear under- brush, dead fuel or down fuel. A burn “allows fi re to play its natural role on the landscape under controlled conditions,” according to a USFS press release. Just fi ve units in the Wal- lowa Fire Zone are under consideration for a pre- scribed burn, but the com- bined size of those sectors is 11,481 acres, and all fi ve could see more than 1,500 acres burned. The larg- est prescribed areas are the Puderbaugh burn unit, southeast of Joseph, at 3,293 acres, and the Muddy Sled burn unit, north of Enterprise, at 2,367 acres. About 5,000 acres are being considered for the Whitman Ranger District, largely based in Baker County, and another 4,000 could be burned in the Grande Ronde Fire Dis- trict, based largely in Union County. “The Forest (Service) is assigned a fuels-reduc- tion target each year,” Mark Moeller, assistant fi re management offi cer for the U.S. Forest Service, said in email to the Chief- tain. “This target includes all fuels reduction treat- ments, and does not spec- ify how many acres of each type of treatment must be accomplished. When the forest receives this target, we set goals for how many acres of each treatment we would like to accomplish in order to reach that target number.” So far, pile burns are all that have been conducted in the WFZ, and that was the majority of what was cleaned out through fi re a year ago. Moeller said 942 acres of pile burning was done last year, compared to just 167 acres of prescribed burning. He said that Forest Ser- vice personnel conduct- ing the burns will move to do so if conditions are OK, but added it’s unlikely that there will be much burned this year. “The weather will not be conducive, likely, this & Skylight Gallery fall to do those,” Moeller said of the prescribed WFZ burns. Fargo explained the high number of acres listed to potentially be burned by what he termed good fi re is partly for planning purposes. “We want to have a lot of opportunities out there, if conditions are right, for a prescribed fi re,” he said. “That would be the simple explanation for why there are so many acres on (the map) so that we have multi- ple opportunities across the landscape.” Several groups give their input when areas to receive prescribed burns are recom- mended, including area fi re management offi cers, For- est Service leadership and partners such as Oregon Smoke Management. The Northeast Oregon District is coming off one of the best summers in recent history with just 253.5 acres burned and just more than 10 in Wallowa County, according to the Oregon Department of Forestry. That, though, doesn’t mean the prescribed burns should stop. “The way our fuel man- agement and prescribed fi res program looks at the resources is over the long term — over a 5-, 10-, 15-, 20-year and more period and anticipating that the vegetation will continue to grow, and in the absence of benefi cial fi re, (there will) be conditions that are primed for more destructive fi res,” Fargo said. Church Directory Finding books is our specialty CLUES ACROSS 1. Fill the tank 6. Undesirable or desirable jeans features 10. Bag for potatoes 14. 1836 siege site 15. Furry “Star Wars” creature 16. Fairy tale meanie 17. What an inconspicuous person keeps 19. Not at all cloudy 20. ___ Schwab 21. Mattress size 22. ___-day (recent or present) 24. Putt distance units 25. Hot, like Tabasco sauce 26. Leave high and dry 29. Fan’s opposite 30. Be patient for 31. Golfer’s shirt, often 32. Fashion magazine since 1945 36. Aries or Capricorn 37. Scarecrow’s wish, in Oz 38. Greenish-blue hue 39. 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Facebook Live Broadcast @ 9:00 “Enterprise Christian Church, Enterprise, OR” 100 NE 3rd St, Enterprise NE 3rd & Main St 541-426-3439 Worship Service Sunday 9:30am “Loving God & One Another” David Bruce, Sr. - Minister Lostine Presbyterian Church Discussion Group 9:30 AM Worship Service 11:00 AM Childrens program during service Blog: dancingforth.blogspot.com CLUES DOWN 1. Brazen boldness 2. Skin softener ingredient 3. Their teeth may be sharpened 4. One of an MLB quartet 5. Sign of the future 6. Equip with new gear 7. Victor’s cry 8. D.C. insider 9. Hanging Halloween decoration 10. Hot, twisty snack 11. Material for a swirly marble 12. Town ___ (early news-person) 13. “Little Fires Everywhere” actress Washington 18. Had to pay 23. Many a tailless primate 24. Something to “damn with” 25. Biden debated her in 2008 26. Get fresh with 27. Annoying person 28. Lose one’s cool 29. Gray with age 31. Talk gibberish 33. Like excellent pastrami 34. 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Pastor: David Pendleton 541.398.0597 Hwy 82, Lostine www.summitchurchoregon.org Stephen Kliewer, Minister Cloverleaf Hall • 668 NW 1st St. • Enterprise, OR 97828 Wallowa Assembly of God 702 West Hwy 82 Wallowa, Oregon 541-886-8445 Sunday School • 9:am Worship Service • 10:am Pastor Tim Barton Visit Us on Christ Covenant Church Pastor Terry Tollefson Church Office: 541-263-0505 Worship Service 10:00 a.m. 723 College Street, Lostine Seventh-Day Adventist Church & School Enterprise Community Congregational Church 305 Wagner (near the Cemetery) P.O. Box N. Enterprise, OR 97828 Church 541-426-3751 School 541-426-8339 Pastor David Ballard 503-810-9886 Join us at the BIG BROWN CHURCH Worship Services Sabbath School 9:30 - 10:45 a.m. Worship Hour 11:00 a.m. - Noon Sunday Worship 11:00 am Bible Studies: Sundays 9:30 am & Thursdays, 5:30 pm Led by Lay Pastor Archie Hook 301 NE First St. • Enterprise, OR Find us on Facebook! 541.426.3044