SATURDAY, APRIL 17, 2021
BAKER CITY HERALD — 3A
Jayson Jacoby/Baker City Herald
Nick Schramm of the La Grande Hot Shots fi refi ghting crew keeps an eye on a prescribed fi re burning Thursday,
April 15 along the road leading to the boat ramp on Phillips Reservoir near Mason Dam.
Jayson Jacoby/Baker City Herald
Kendall Cikanek, ranger for
the Whitman District, which
includes the Phillips Reser-
— Kendall Cikanek, Whitman voir area.
District ranger, Wallowa-
“It’s exciting to get back
Whitman National Forest
to spring burning,” Cikanek
said.
desiccated pine needles that
Spring typically brings the
could fuel a summer wildfi re. blazes can spread rapidly, but
Continued from Page 1A
ideal conditions for prescribed
He also hopes the fi re will because they can also kill a
A day when the fl ames
burning — fuels aren’t so dry
kill the seedling pines that
mature tree.
can’t be wielded like a tool,
have sprouted between the
Thursday’s prescribed fi re, that a fi re is likely to burn out
when they won’t be an ally.
mature trees. Those fl edgling by contrast, mainly stayed on of control, but not so damp
A day when every ember is pines can serve as “ladder
that fl ames won’t move.
or close to the ground.
a dangerous enemy.
But in 2020, with the
fuels,” Lewis said — in effect,
Prescribed fi res occasion-
Experts in the nuances of
pandemic just beginning and
a combustible ladder that
ally scorch the needles of
the forest, and its relationship fl ames can climb from the
rampant uncertainty, the
mature pines, turning the
with fl ames, call it a pre-
Wallowa-Whitman canceled
ground to reach the trunks,
green needles to red, said
scribed fi re.
its spring prescribed burning
and potentially even the
Steve Hawkins, deputy fi re
It is an apt term.
crowns, of the tallest pondero- staff fuels program manager schedule.
The second-growth ponder- sas.
“That was a risk we didn’t
for the Wallowa-Whitman.
osa forests that grow between
“We want to get rid of
A prescribed fi re in October want to take,” Cikanek said.
the reservoir and Highway 7, the majority of those young
In addition to questions
2007 that included some of
from Mason Dam west up the saplings,” Lewis said Thurs-
about the likelihood of
the same ground burned
Sumpter Valley aren’t sick.
spreading the virus among
day morning as groups of
Thursday left many pon-
The fi re that’s prescribed
fi re crews, Cikanek said for-
fi refi ghters dispersed from
derosas with that rusty-red
in this case serves more as a the road leading to the boat
est offi cials wanted to avoid
appearance. Some people
tonic, a supplement of sorts to ramp near Mason Dam.
creating smoke, which could
who drove past the trees on
keep the forest healthy.
A total of 61 people worked Highway 7 complained to the exacerbate health problems
Trevor Lewis eschews the on the prescribed fi re Thurs- Wallowa-Whitman, wonder- for people affl icted with the
cliché of fi ghting fi re with
respiratory illness.
day, some using drip torches ing why the agency tasked
fi re, but he concedes that’s a to ignite grass, while others
Conditions on Thursday
with protecting trees would
signifi cant part of the purpose patrolled to make sure the
were close to ideal, he said.
have purposely killed them
of Thursday’s fi re, which
With steady winds blowing
fl ames stayed within the
with fi re.
covered about 535 acres.
from the northeast and north,
designated areas.
But almost all of those
Lewis, an assistant fi re
Lewis said a prescribed fi re, trees survived, Hawkins said smoke was generally pushed
management offi cer for the
away from Baker Valley, al-
in addition to killing saplings, — the needle damage was
Burnt-Powder Fire Zone
though smoke settled into the
can also creep up the trunks superfi cial, not fatal.
on the Wallowa-Whitman
Sumpter Valley on Thursday
of mature ponderosas, prun-
Pandemic prevented
National Forest who served
night and Friday morning.
ing some of the lower limbs
as fi re boss for Thursday’s
and, as he puts it, “raising the prescribed burning
throughout 2020
Frequent fi res desirable
operation, said the fl ames will ladder” of the fuels.
Thursday’s fi re was some-
Before the Forest Service
remove accumulations of dry,
Forest offi cials fear crown
thing of a milestone, said
started fi ghting fi res a little
dead grass and the layers of
fi res not only because those
Members of the La Grande Hot Shots fi refi ghting crew
use drip torches to ignite dry grass on Thursday, April 15
north of Phillips Reservoir. The torches are fi lled with a
mixture of diesel and gasoline.
“It’s exciting to get back to
spring burning.”
FIRE
H EART TO H EART
Barbara Wendt’s
thanks for the friendship and
family grateful for
understanding that has been
thoughts and prayers extended to our family. To the
The family of Barbara
Wendt would like to thank
everyone for their thoughts
and prayers during this diffi -
cult time. We truly appreciate
the visits, food, fl owers, cards
and condolences. There are no
words to express our heartfelt
wonderful friends from Heart
’N Home Hospice, thank
you too! Your professional,
compassionate, caring staff
is amazing. Without your aid
and support we could not
have kept mom with us to the
end.
Firewood permits available
The Vale District of the Bureau of Land Manage-
ment is selling fi rewood-cutting permits online starting
May 1. The cost is $5.50 per cord, with a two-cord
minimum per transaction, and a maximum of 10 cords
per household. The fi rewood-cutting season is May 1
through Nov. 29.
To buy a permit online, go to https://forestproducts.
blm.gov. Permits are also available using a credit/debit
card by calling the Baker Field Offi ce at 541-523-1256
or the Vale District Offi ce at 541-473-3144. Offi ce hours
are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
more than a century ago,
fi res, mainly low-intensity
ground blazes, swept through
the pine forests in this part
of Sumpter Valley on aver-
age every seven to 15 years,
Hawkins said.
These estimates are based
on studies of fi re scars on old-
growth ponderosas in similar
areas.
Prescribed fi res are
designed to mimic those
historical blazes, which were
ignited either by lightning or
by Native Americans.
Thursday’s fi re was the
third prescribed blaze the
Wallowa-Whitman has lit in
the past 40 or so years in the
strip between the reservoir
and Highway 7, Hawkins
said.
He described the fi re as a
“maintenance burn,” one in-
tended to reduce the accumu-
lation of fuel on the ground.
Hawkins said the fl ames
will have other benefi ts, in-
cluding spurring the growth
of grasses and shrubs, includ-
ing bitterbrush, that are
important forage for deer and
other wildlife.
The area around Phillips
Reservoir is an important
part of the forest, he said, be-
ing a popular spot for hiking
and mountain biking.
Thursday’s fi re will also
help protect the Forest Ser-
vice’s Union Creek Camp-
ground, Lewis said.
He said the prescribed fi re
burned through parts of the
campground, reducing the
fuel loads in that highly-used
area (the campground isn’t
yet open for the season).
Crews burned more acres
near the west end of the
reservoir on Friday, April 16,
Cikanek said.
Workers will patrol the
area through the weekend,
he said.
New At The Library
Patrons can reserve materials in advance online or by
calling 541-523-6419. Drive-in hours at 2400 Resort St. are
Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday
and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.
FICTION
• “The House in the Cerulean Sea,” TJ Klune
• “My Year Abroad,” Chang-Rae Lee
• “Mystery of Mrs. Christie,” Marie Benedict
• “A Thousand Ships,” Natalie Haynes
• “The Thursday Murder Club,” Richard Osman
NONFICTION
• “The YouTube Formula,” Derral Eves
• “A World on the Wing,” Scott Weidensaul
• “When Stars are Scattered,” Victoria Jamieson
• “Custer’s Trials,” T.J. Stiles
• “Positive Discipline Parenting Tools,” Jane Nelson
DVDS
• “Modest Heroes” (Animation)
• “Thank You For Playing” (Documentary)
• “The Captain” (Drama)
• “The Rhythm Section” (Action)
• “The Square” (Comedy)