June 30, 2015
For Immediate Release Contact: Ashley Lara 541-831-2778
Date: June 30, 2015
Target Shooting Sparks Fire on Kershaw Road
At 4:45p.m. dispatch received a report of smoke at the White City Shooting Range on Kershaw Road. Jackson County Fire District 3, the Oregon Department of Forestry and Jackson County Sheriff’s Department arrived on scene to find a .10 acre fire moving up slope with high winds.
This is the fourth fire that has been reported in the area in the last month. The most recent being just a day before the Kershaw Road Fire started. Resources including, 5 Jackson County Fire District 3 engines, 1-20 person Jackson County Community Justice Crew, 7 Oregon Department of Forestry engines, 2-10 person handcrews, 1 tender, 1 dozer and a Type 1 and Type 2 helicopter. Crew moved quickly to form a wet line (a temporary control line using water to prevent fire from spreading) around the perimeter. The helicopters dipped out of a nearby pond, rotating bucked drops on the hot spots.
Within two hours, the fire was 100% contained with dozer line around the perimeter. Crews worked overnight to mop-up the area. Jesse Blair, Fire Investigator for the Oregon Department of Forestry stated, “The fire has been deemed shooting related, and it moved quickly due to high temperatures and low humidity”. Though this fire was not started due to tracer ammunition, it is also important to state that according to ORS. 477.510 and ORS 477.512, the discharge of tracer ammunition on land that is within the district or within one-eighth mile of the district, or when discharged, crosses above land that is within the district or within one-eighth mile of the district are prohibited during fire season.
###
Ashley Lara
Fire & Life Safety Specialist
Jackson County Fire District 3
8383 Agate Rd
White City, OR 97503
(541) 831-2778
June 27, 2015
Abundant lightning strikes Friday evening over the High Cascades Ranger District of the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest resulted in four new fire starts. The Bessie Fire is currently estimated at 10-20 acres and is being attacked with air tankers, helicopters and hand crews. All other fires are currently reported at one acre or less in size. A variety of different firefighting resources, including engines, hand crews, smokejumpers, rapellers and helicopters are either on site or en route to each of the fires.
No lightning-caused fires have been found on forestlands protected by the Oregon Dept. of Forestry.
Fire lookouts and aerial reconnaissance flights will continue to look for any additional smokes.
A Red Flag Warning for lightning and dry fuels remains in effect throughout the region into Sunday.
Fire managers are encouraging the public to be extremely fire aware over the course of the weekend. Unattended campfires, careless disposal of smoking materials and the use of any spark emitting apparatus could result in a rapidly growing wildfire.
“We need the public’s help to limit human caused fires given the potential for many starts due to lightning over the next few days,” reminds Eric Hensel, Fire Staff Officer for the Rogue River-Siskiyou NF. “Both the National Forest and State protected lands have fire restrictions in place for good reason. I encourage the public to become familiar with and abide by them for their own safety, the safety of our firefighters and the protection of our natural resources.”
Information about current fire restrictions can be found at: www.fs.usda.gov/rogue-siskiyou.
June 26, 2015
Prolonged dry conditions in southwest Oregon forestlands is the cause for the Industrial Fire Precaution Level (IFPL) to raise to a Level II (2) on July 1. Restrictions under IFPL II take effect at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, July 1, and apply to the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, as well as state, private, county and Bureau of Land Management lands protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry in Jackson and Josephine counties.
The public regulated use fire danger level on ODF-protected lands remains at High (yellow).
The IFPL II restrictions apply only to contractors and permit holders, including those with permits to cut firewood for personal use. These restrictions are not applicable to standard recreational uses, such as campfires, which have separate restrictions that may apply.
Under IFPL II:
- The use of fire in any form will be prohibited.
- The use of power saws will be prohibited, except at loading sites, between 1:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
- The use of cable yarders will be prohibited between 1:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
- Blasting will be prohibited between 1:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
- Welding or cutting of metal will be prohibited between 1:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
Additionally, commercial operators on forestlands are required to have fire suppression equipment on site and provide watchman service.
For more information about the Oregon Department of Forestry’s fire season regulations, contact the unit office in your area:
- Medford Unit, 5286 Table Rock Rd., Central Point. Phone: (541) 664-3328
- Grants Pass Unit, 5375 Monument Drive, Grants Pass. Phone: (541) 474-3152
Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest fire prevention regulations are posted online at www.fs.usda.gov/rogue-siskiyou.
June 26, 2015
A Type 3 fire organization, headed by Incident Commander Monte Edwards, will assume command of the Buckskin Fire on Saturday at 6 am. This team is meeting today with Rogue River-Siskyou National Forest managers for an in-brief of the fire. The Type 3 team will continue to monitor the fire, complete suppression repair and be available to respond should the fire situation warrant.
The Buckskin Fire is estimated at 5,345 acres. Overall containment remains at 60%. Full suppression of this fire remains the operational strategy.
The fire was quiet following yesterday’s test of the suppression lines with warm temperatures, lower humidity, and strong gusty winds. A Red Flag Warning has been issued by the National Weather Service for abundant lightning Friday afternoon through Sunday. These thunderstorms could produce dry lightning and erratic winds creating very active fire behavior. Firefighters are prepared and will remain vigilant to take additional suppression actions needed on the Buckskin Fire.
Today, crews will chip piled woody material stacked along the southeast containment line, gather equipment for back haul, and complete any suppression damage repairs. The north, west and south flanks of the fire are being patrolled by air. A Wildland Fire Module will be shuttled by helicopter to the southeast containment line to monitor the fire. A hand held palm infra-red camera will be flown by helicopter around the fire flanks and identify hot spots. Those spots will receive water drops by helicopters to extinguish.
Helibase at the Illinois Valley Airport will be closed today and all helicopters will operate from the Grants Pass Airport. The heliwell will remain near the Illinois Valley Airport for use. All water used in bucket drops from helicopters for any additional suppression efforts will come from the heliwell to protect critical Coho habitat in Baldface Creek.
Although there are lines surrounding the fire, several interior unburned islands remain within the primary containment lines. Smoldering of these unburned islands will likely continue until a season ending event.
Resources no longer needed in the suppression efforts of the fire are being released for reassignment or to return home.
With burnout operations completed, less smoke will be generated by the Buckskin Fire. Oregon Smoke at http://OregonSmoke.BlogSpot.com is an excellent resource for air quality information.
A Fire Area Closure Order remains in place closing forest land around the wildfire area to provide for public health and safety. For more information, please see the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, Buckskin Fire Inciweb, or Buckskin Fire Facebook web pages.
Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR): A TFR remains in place over the Buckskin Fire. Please check the NOTAMs for current information.
Resources – Crews – 5; Engines –1; Water Tenders – 6; Helicopters – 3
Total Personnel – 295
June 25, 2015
The weather forecast is calling for high temperatures around most of the state through the weekend and even into the middle of next week. It’s a time to keep fire prevention uppermost in our minds, and also, to remember to protect the health of trees in yards and landscapes by deeply watering them.
“Summer temperatures can be hard on trees, especially landscape trees in our urban areas,” says Kristin Ramstad, an urban forester with the Oregon Department of Forestry. “If they aren’t well-watered, warm weather and prolonged drought eventually make trees more susceptible to insect and disease problems,” adds Ramstad.
Seems like a good time to remember that when temperatures in Oregon get warm and stay warm, it can take a toll on trees as well as people. The Oregon Department of Forestry suggests a few tips for keeping your trees healthy during times of heat stress.
Symptoms of drought
One of the first signs that a deciduous tree (i.e., trees like birches or maples that drop leaves in the winter) needs water is that its leaves begin to look dull, and sometimes, limp.
More advanced symptoms of needing water are browning of leaves, wilting, and curling at the edges. Leaves may also develop a scorched or burned look, turning yellow or brown on outside edges, or between leaf veins. Leaves may even appear smaller than usual, drop prematurely, or turn brown but remain on the tree.
When drought-stressed, the needles of conifers (evergreen trees such as Ponderosa Pine or Douglas-fir) may turn yellow, red, purple or brown.
Watering tips
Given their benefits, longevity, and contributions to the environment, give your trees higher watering priority than lawns. Keep in mind that if trees are only provided with shallow water every so often, they’re probably only getting a fraction of what they need. Watering trees for short periods of time encourages shallow rooting, which can lead to future health problems for the tree.
To make sure your tree gets the water it needs, saturate the soil within the drip line – that’s the circle that could be drawn on the soil around the tree directly under the tips of its outermost branches. Using a regular hose or a soaker hose, water deeply and slowly – slowly is important, so the water doesn’t run-off. To make sure it gets enough water, keep moving the hose around different areas under the tree.
For conifers, water 3 to 5 feet beyond the drip line on all sides of the tree. Also, if you have a choice, water trees during the cooler part of the day. Another way to water trees slowly is to put a nail hole in the bottom (near the edge) of a five gallon bucket. Fill the bucket with water, and leave the slowly leaking bucket under the canopy of the tree. Do this twice or three times per tree, moving the bucket each time.
Other tips: Use mulch
Using mulch is an excellent way to care for trees in warm weather, as it helps the soil below trees retain moisture and stay cool. Mulch can be made of bark, wood chips, leaves and evergreen needles.
Apply mulch within the drip line, at a depth of four inches, leaving a six-inch space between the mulch and tree trunk. Mulch will also help discourage weeds.
Lastly, don’t plant annual flowers or other groundcovers under the canopy of your tree, as they’ll compete with the tree’s roots for moisture and nutrients.
Good tree care = a good investment
Trees and forests enhance quality of life in many ways, providing shade, wildlife habitat, clean air, wood and other products, raising property values, and providing clean, healthy streams.
What’s more, on hot days, we all rely on the shade of the trees in our yards and communities. Therefore, it is a really good idea to keep our trees healthy and watered.
For more information about trees and tree care:
www.isa-arbor.com/
www.treesaregood.com/treecare/treecareinfo.aspx
