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48 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, February 26, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend February 10, 2004 Ramiro Mendoza sets fire to a pile of brush cut last summer two miles west of Jacksonville. The Bureau of Land Management is burning piles of brush now in an effort to reduce fire danger during dry months. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Leftover burn piles go up in smoke Break in the rainy weather allows BLM crews to clear the land By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune JACKSONVILLE — That tell-tale plume of smoke trailing up out of the woods southwest of Jacksonville Monday probably sparked concern among some rural residents of an escaped wildfire. Not to worry, said Tom Murphy. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management was merely taking advantage of a break in the weather to torch brush piles left over from a fall burning program, explained the agency’s Medford District fire management officer. Burning the piles on 90 acres is part of a BLM program to reduce the threat of fires on land near the urban interface, he said. "In these areas of thick brush that are considered excessive fuel loading, we go in and thin out the brush, pile it and cover it to have dry ignition source when we can go back in and burn it," he said. Advertisement "By burning it when the ground is saturated, we reduce the threat of a fire creeping around and causing a problem," he added. The agency, which has burned about 2,000 acres, has only a couple of hundred acres left to complete the fall hand-pile burning program, he estimated. "We had that extended dry period in the fall and got a late start, then it got wet with snow in some places," he said, noting the result was a short burning period. "We normally like to get the fall burning done before January but we’re doing it a little later this year with the way it worked out," he said. The work being done now is largely through contractors using drip torches, he said. To protect air quality during the burning periods, the BLM works closely with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, the National Weather Service, the Oregon Department of Forestry and the U.S. Forest Service. Prescribed burning is allowed only on days when conditions will let the fire burn safely while blowing smoke away from populated areas. For a daily updated recording of prescribed burning on the Medford District or the Rogue River National Forest, call 618-2354 or 800-267-3126. The recording is updated by 9 a.m. each day when burning occurs. Additional information on the district’s burn program is available online at www.or.blm.gov/medford The burning program is part of an effort by the district to reduce the fire hazard on more than 20,000 acres this federal fiscal year which began last Oct. 1, using both prescribed burning and manual and mechanical treatments. Last fiscal year, district employees treated about 23,000 acres. Although the agency has been conducting fall burning for decades, the National Fire Plan approved by Congress following the devastating 2000 fire season prompted it to focus more of its burning on reducing fire threats in rural areas. Fire experts say a century of suppressing wildfires in many areas has created woodlands that are unnaturally dense, creating the potential for catastrophic fires. Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times