IFPL IV in Effect September 1
Increased fire danger on forestlands protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry’s Southwest Oregon District has made it necessary to increase the fire prevention measures on logging and non-logging industrial operations, as well as all other commercial operations. Industrial Fire Precaution Level (IFPL) IV (Four) takes effect at 12:01 a.m. tomorrow, Friday, September 1, 2017.
Please note, this is separate from the general public fire restrictions currently in effect. ODF Southwest’s fire restrictions remain in place and unchanged with a fire danger level of “extreme” (red).
Under IFPL IV, all industrial actions are prohibited. Industrial actions include cable yarding, use of power saws, logging operations using tractors, skidders, feller-bunchers, mechanized loading or hauling, blasting, welding or cutting of metal, or any other spark-emitting operation not yet mentioned.
No waivers will be issued for harvest or road construction activities. Waivers may be considered on a case-by-case basis for extremely low risk operations.
ODF Southwest fully understands the burden that this places on our industrial cooperators and the local economy. This decision is never made lightly; in fact, it has been more than 20 years since ODF Southwest has issued a Level IV closure.
In regards to the duration of this closure, ODF Southwest personnel will be constantly monitoring several factors; including weather conditions and smoke forecasts – just to name a few, in order to lower the IFPL Level, as soon as safely possible.
For more information about the Oregon Department of Forestry’s public or industrial fire season restrictions, visit our Facebook page: ODF Southwest Oregon District, or our websitewww.swofire.com.