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Don�t be alarmed, it�s supposed to burn BLM will torch grass, woodland in Applegate Valley this week By Paul Fattig Two prescribed burns are planned in the Applegate Valley this week as part of a Bureau of Land Management program to improve forest health and reduce the potential for a catastrophic fire this summer. Areas to be burned include 311 acres of grass and woodland in the Bishop Creek drainage northeast of Ruch and 300 acres of brush in Deming Gulch in the Sterling Creek drainage just west of Anderson Butte. Weather conditions will dictate exactly when the areas will be burned, said Don Ferguson, spokesman for the BLM�s Medford District. Conditions must allow the fire to burn safely while blowing the smoke away from populated areas, he said. Officials stressed that safety will be a major concern. Earlier this month, a wildfire burned some 200 acres in the Wagner Creek drainage. It is believed to have ignited from smoldering logging debris originally burned late in November on Boise Cascade Corp. forest land, according to the Oregon Department of Forestry. This week�s prescribed burns will include the use of both hand crews and the use of a helicopter-mounted torch. Hand crews first burn the perimeter of the target area to create a secure "blackline" before the helicopter is used, Ferguson explained. Fire crews will also be stationed around the perimeter. The public can call 618-2354 to hear a recorded daily update on prescribed burns in the Medford District. To protect air quality during the burning periods, the agency is working closely with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and the National Weather Service, Ferguson said. The BLM plans to burn some 5,500 acres in the district before the fire season begins in late spring or early summer. That�s up from the roughly 4,700 acres burned last fall and winter. The increased acreage reflects the agency�s growing reliance on controlled fires to improve forest health and wildlife habitat while reducing the threat of catastrophic fires and removing logging debris. Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.