FOUR • Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, April 18,2007
Umatilla National Forest announces spring prescribed burning plan
Umatilla National
Forest managers hope to
apply fire to over 6(X)0 acres
o f N ational Forest this
spring, announced Brian
Goff, Deputy Fire Staff.
W hen co n d itio n s allow,
ignition will be done on the
ground by hand crews with
drip torches and possibly
from the air with a
helicopter, according to
Goff.
Prescribed burns are
used to achieve several
goals. While some burns are
prescribed for the purpose of
reintroducing fire into fire-
dependent ecosystems, most
burns are p rescrib ed to
reduce
the
risk
of
catastrophic wildfire by
reducing
dead
fuel
accumulation, rearranging
fuel accu m u latio n s and
affecting the live vegetation
in the area. “Research has
shown that, in areas where
prescribed burning has taken
place, wildfires are more
likely to stay on the surface,
close to the ground, and out
of the tree crowns,” said
Goff. Previous forest
thinning and prescribed
burns on Umatilla National
Forest Lands played a
significant role in stopping
the progress of the 2006
Columbia Complex Wildfire
and the 2005 School
Wildfire.
O p p o rtu n ities to
prescribed burn are very
dependent upon weather
conditions and the potential
for undesirable smoke
accumulation. “Conditions
have to be within the narrow
criteria window in order to
use prescribed fire,” said
Goff. Wind speed and
d irectio n , tem p eratu res,
relative humidity, and fuel
moistures are all taken into
co n sideration. "W eather
conditions relate to how
much dead organic material
is consumed by the fire, how
much live vegetation is
affected, how much smoke
is produced and where that
smoke goes. There are only
a few days during the spring
and fall that meet all the
crite ria for p rescribed
burning in a particular area,"
said Goff.
The spring burn
program includes burning
both activity fuels and
natural fuels. Activity fuels,
or slash, consist of the non-
m erchantable m aterial
rem aining after tim ber
harvest activities. Activity
fuel burns also reduce
potential fire hazards and
prepare the area for
reforestation. Removing
slash stimulates plant growth
for wildlife winter forage and
reduces the amount of fuel
available for a wildfire.
Natural fuels are
created by the normal
accum ulation o f grass,
branches, and logs and can
be compounded by insect
and disease m ortality.
Natural fuel burns, or
“landscape burns,” are low
intensity burns covering up
to several thousand acres
and can take weeks to
complete.
All
p rescrib ed
burning will comply with
federal, state, and local air
quality and smoke dispersal
guidelines to reduce the
impacts of smoke on local
communities.
"Prescribed burning
is a natural disturbance
process for the Blue
Mountains. Allowing fire to
play a more active role can
help to restore and the
forest,” said Goff.
For
more
information concerning the
Umatilla National Forest
Prescribed
Burning
program, contact Brian Goff
in Pendleton (541) 278-
3748. For information about
specific Ranger Districts, the
following persons may be
contacted: Scott Wryn,
Heppner RD (541) 676-
9187; Mark Johnson, Walla
Walla RD (509) 522-6290;
Scott M cD onald, North
Fork John Day RD (541)
427-3231; or Steve Carlson,
Pomeroy RD (509) 843-
1891.
The
U m atilla
National Forest is ready to
begin work on the following
spring program of prescribed
burning as favorable weather
conditions become available:
H eppner R anger
District Prescribed Burn
Plan includes approximately
4,000 acres of natural fuels
landscape underburn in the
Big Wall Creek area.
Walla Walla Ranger
District Prescribed Burn
Plan includes approximately
160 acres of activity fuels
W hy You Should
near Long Meadows and
approximately 100 acres of
activity fuels near Phillips
Creek.
North Fork John
Day
Ranger
D istrict
Prescribed Burn Plan
includes approximately 600
acres of activity fuels near
Fivemile Creek and 400
acres of activity fuels near
Kelsay Creek.
Pom eroy R anger
District Prescribed Burn
Plan includes approximately
800 acres of natural fuels
underburn near Charley
Creek.
lone mayor presents plaques
lone Mayor Mark Bruno presents a plaque to Jim
Swanson.
Justice Court
Report
Judge Charlotte Gray,
Heppner Justice Court, has
released the following re
port:
-Pedro Avila Bedolla, 26,
Lexington, DWS violation,
driving uninsured, $673 fine.
-Charles M. Little, 50,
Echo, parking illegally, $76
fine.
-Chet Alan Dubry, 33,
Heppner, violation of the
basic rule 85/55, $244 fine.
-Charene Ann Bracher,
30, Pendleton, illegal park
ing, $76 fine.
Senior Center
lunch menu
Hope/Valby/AU
Saints church members will be
serving lunch on Wednesday,
April 25. The menu will
consist of Swiss steak, mashed
potatoes with butter, green
beans, rolls, and cookies.
lone Mayor Mark Bruno presents a plaque to Dennis
Stefani.
lone Mayor Mark Bruno presented plaques to Jim
Swanson and Dennis Stefani for their long years of service to
the lone City Council, the lone community and the lone School
for their “sacrifice,” said Bruno. In addition to long years of
service on the council, the two men have been active in numerous
community events and also donated their time to coaching sports
teams at the lone School. The plaques were presented at the lone
Council meeting April 10.
'
VOTE YES
On T h e M orrow County Road Levy
QUESTION: Why can’t the current road dept, budget pay for proposed projects?
ANSWER: The road budget has been cut 2 0 percent over the past 15years while costs have
increased nearly 50 percent.
Is reconstruction necessary?
Yes!High traffic connector roads do not meet State minimum requirements for safety due to
narrowness, curves and shoulders.
Is paving necessary?
Yes, on these major connector roads (the four projects). Besides, returning to gravel requires
all-weather reconstruction which is more than 70 percent of total cost.
What does our present budget fund?
Most of our present funding goes to existing road preservation.
Who is going to benefit from this Road Levy?
The entire county transportation system, including safety and emergency services, all com
merce, including industry and agriculture, school buses and the general public.
Are county officials unanimous about the need?
Yes - past and present county court commissioners, road committee members, public works
staff, and road dept, staff all are saying there is an urgent need.
Will cities benefit?
Yes! By state law, they receive a portion of the funds for city road projects - in this case,
$1,635,967.
Why not get funding from grants?
State funding is very limited for regular county road needs. Over $11.5 million has been
received in the past 10 years for specific projects, such as the Bombing Range Road (Finley
Buttes funding), airport (Federal Aviation funds), and bridges (ODOT).
Has the OHV Park been a positive fiscal endeavor for the road dept.?
Yes! The Oregon Parks and Recreation agency has our OHV entirely funded (over $3 million
funded to date).
How long does this levy last?
It starts in 2007 and ends in 2012 (five years). It's a small 920 increase in present taxes.
Paid for by Citizens for Safe Roads. Ken Turner. Secretary.