Document text
0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW SOU a finalist in national Climate Leadership Competition ... Our View: Water curtailment efforts not just for show ... Officers identified in Dunsmuir shootout ... SOU a finalist in national Climate Leadership Competition ... Our View: Water curtailment efforts not just for show ... Officers identified in Dunsmuir shootout ... SINCE YOU ASKED Since You Asked: Where there's smoke, there's slash fires Comment MailTribune.com Writer Posted Mar. 18, 2015 at 12:01 AM Posted Mar. 18, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News Over the last few years when looking at the hillsides to the southwest of Medford, I've noticed a lot of smoke coming up in columns, and then the wind catches it and fills most of the hills to the east. Are "they" burning slash, or is there a factory up there that needs to burn lumber? Curtis K., Medford It depends on who you mean by "they," Curtis. If "they" is a rogue group of troublemaker arsonist forest animals trying to make a point about...something, you'd be off the mark. However, if you meant farmers, orchardists and other private property owners burning brush, you'd be correct. "All the way through that whole belt, there's residential burning, (the) usual brush piles that they burn," says Brian Ballou, Oregon Department of Forestry spokesman. Ballou adds that you'll see quite the uptick in the number of columns this month. You've probably noticed. That's because the air quality management period — a no-burn period that runs between October and March — concludes, and, in a lot of cases, all that accumulated debris and slash is piled up and set ablaze. "March is a key time, because they haven't been able to do it since October," Ballou says. A bit higher up into the true forestlands, you'll see a similar increase in smoke columns this time of year. That's usually on private forestlands and Bureau of Land Management property. "All those folks work with us," Ballou says. Send questions to “Since You Asked,” Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by email to [email protected]. We’re sorry, but the volume of questions received prevents us from answering all of them. MailTribune.com Writer Posted Mar. 18, 2015 at 12:01 AM » 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... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site 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. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501