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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Advertisement Email Story to a Friend April 28, 2006 Controlled burns to begin this weekend By Paul Fattig Mail Tribune If you see smoke rising from the local mountains this weekend, check with Uncle Sam before calling the nearest fire department. Chances are it will be the U.S. Bureau of Land Management's Medford District or Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest crews burning debris piles now to reduce the threat of catastrophic wildfires around rural communities come summer. "We're planning to try to do burning through the weekend," said Tom Murphy, fire officer of the BLM's Medford District. "The conditions are ideal now in terms of fuel moisture. "The transport winds are coming out of the north this time of year so that allows us to burn in the south," he added. "When the air starts to stagnate, we shut down." The BLM, which hopes to burn some 5,000 acres this spring in Jackson and Josephine counties, was burning Wednesday but was mopping up those areas on Thursday. The Forest Service burned a small area near Prospect on Wednesday, part of the roughly 2,500 acres it hopes to burn this spring. The burns caused smoky conditions in the Rogue Valley Thursday morning, but things cleared up by afternoon. Advertisement In addition to burning handpiles of woody debris, the prescribed burns are controlled fires that include understory burning along the forest floor. If done properly, prescribed burns don't harm larger trees. They also remove "ladder fuels" that could otherwise ignite large trees during a summer fire, officials said. Firefighting crews and equipment are on hand when the fires are burning. However, the prescribed burns occur only when weather conditions and fuel moisture content allow safe operations. The ground must be wet, the humidity high and temperatures low. The agencies also work closely with the Oregon Department of Forestry as well as Oregon's Smoke Management Office, which determines when weather conditions are suitable for adequate smoke dispersal. "It's a day-to-day thing — we burn when the weather is within our prescription and the fuel moisture is where we want it," he said. The goal is to treat overgrown forests, the result of a century of fire suppression, making them more fire resistant, officials said. "We're concentrating on hazardous reduction in the interface," Murphy said, referring to the area between open, populated areas and undeveloped forests. Meanwhile, Jackson County and Biomass One in White City have teamed up to create "Free Woody Vegetation Disposal Days" today and Saturday in an effort to encourage residents within identified wildfire hazard areas to reduce potentially flammable vegetation around homes, driveways, roadsides and property lines. More than 11,000 suburban and rural county residents have been sent postcards that include a coupon for disposal of one load of woody debris for free at Biomass One, 2359 Avenue G in White City. Biomass, which uses the material to generate power, is open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Accepted material includes tree branches and brush cuttings. No loose needles or leaves, sod, vines, construction debris or household waste will be accepted. Loads must be covered while being transported. Anyone needing tips on creating a defensible fuel break around a rural home, including everything from removing "ladder" fuels to thinning trees, should contact their local fire department or call the Oregon Department of Forestry office in Central Point at 664-3328. Before burning brush piles and other woody debris in rural areas of Jackson County, call 776-7007 to make sure it is a burn day and you are in an area where it is legal. For open burning in Josephine County, call 476-9663. Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Discount Hotel Reservations online casinos news Ashley Furniture HomeStore Send Flowers California Casinos GMAT Prep Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Online Casino Fundraisers Sudoku Online Casinos Canada Online Pharmacy Advertisement s