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1 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Rogue Valley programs persevere in extreme heat ... Chris Honoré: Sept. 15, 1963 – Birmingham, Alabama ... Concern about violence leads Ashland synagogues to use video systems ... Rogue Valley programs persevere in extreme heat ... Chris Honoré: Sept. 15, 1963 – Birmingham, Alabama ... Concern about violence leads Ashland synagogues to use video systems ... BURNS BANNED Southwest Oregon fire season starts Friday Comment By Staff and wire reports DailyTidings.com By Staff and wire reports Posted Jun. 2, 2015 at 7:25 PM By Staff and wire reports Posted Jun. 2, 2015 at 7:25 PM » Social News A forecast for a hot and dry weekend has prompted the Oregon Department of Forestry to declare the start of the 2015 fire season in Jackson and Josephine counties. ODF spokesman Brian Ballou said the season will kick off Friday, launching restrictions on the 1.8 million acres of county, state, private and Bureau of Land Management forestlands that ODF's Southwest District is tasked with protecting. That means no more burn piles, ditch burns or open-barrel burning until the season ends. In a ddition, no fireworks, tracer ammunition, exploding targets or sky lanterns are allowed on ODF-protected lands. The Rogue River's Wild & Scenic section between Grave Creek and Marial will also have restrictions in place starting Friday. Campfires will need to be in fire pans or on a fire blanket placed on a gravel or sand bar between the river and the high-water mark, and only in areas without flammable vegetation. Smoking will be allowed only on gravel or sand bars free of flammable vegetation, or in watercraft on the river. People in watercrafts must carry a shovel and a bucket with at least one gallon capacity.  Timber harvesting operations on ODF-protected forestlands will be required to have fire-suppression equipment and a watchman on job sites.  There are no restrictions on mowing or power equipment as of yet. This year's fire season comes about 10 days earlier than average, thanks to lackluster snowpack during an unusually warm winter. The drought, combined with summer thunderstorms, means ODF officials are expecting another busy summer of firefighting. "It'll be very similar to last year," Ballou said. The 2015 season will start three days later than 2014's June 2 debut, which lasted for 136 days and ended mid-October.  Wildfires in southwestern Oregon cost ODF about $79 million in 2013 and 2014. Statewide, ODF spent $200 million fighting fires those two years. The state has been able to recoup some of those expenses, however. Oregon has a unique wildfire insurance policy through Lloyd's of London, which also insured the Titanic. Before any payments, however, the state must meet a $50 million deductible on the $25 million policy, with annual premiums of $3.75 million.  The 2013 season saw 348 fires that scorched 43,078 acres in Jackson and Josephine counties. In 2014, 281 fires burned 9,559 acres. Ballou said the southwest Oregon division of ODF is currently operating at about one-third strength, but that force should start building in the coming days. Split between Medford and Grants Pass, the agency has 22 wildland fire engines and three bulldozers at their disposal. State-contracted air tankers and helicopters that drop water and retardant typically don't arrive until early July, but those dates can be moved up if necessary.  "Come Monday we're going to have all our forest officers on board," Ballou said. Oregon is expected to see above-normal wildfire danger starting in July. The National Interagency Fire Center's latest report on nationwide wildfire potential shows much of Oregon at normal in June, with drier areas of the state moving into above normal. By July, above normal fire potential spreads across the Northwest and continues through September. "The focus of above normal fire activity during the core of the fire season will likely be in the Northwest," the report said. East of the Cascades, more lightning than usual is expected in July and August, which the report says "will prove to be the deciding factor for the intensity of fire season 2015." Last year Oregon saw more than 3,000 wildfires burn nearly 1 million acres — about 1,500 square miles — of forest and rangeland, the fire center reports. Long-range forecasts from the NOAA Climate Prediction Center call for summer to be warmer and drier than average. In the short term, late spring rain has moistened trees, brush and grass, but as summer wears on, wildfire activity is expected to become "robust," the report said. "This will be amplified by the lack of snowpack at higher elevations, which should allow the conditions necessary for long duration timber fires to occur unusually early," the report said. "This will be the third drier-than-normal fire season in a row for southwest Oregon," state District Forester Dan Thorpe said in a statement. Six small lightning fires were put out after being ignited Sunday evening in Douglas County. By Staff and wire reports DailyTidings.com By Staff and wire reports Posted Jun. 2, 2015 at 7:25 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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