JACKSON & JOSEPHINE COUNTIES, Ore. (May 30, 2024) – Fire Season on lands protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry’s (ODF) Southwest Oregon District begins Saturday, June 1, 2024 at 12:01 a.m. The fire danger le
vel will be “Low” (green) and the Industrial Fire Precaution Level (IFPL) will be I (one). Lands affected by this declaration include 1.8 million acres of state, private, county, city and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) forestlands in Jackson and Josephine counties.
Spring rain, snow and cooler weather patterns allowed for a fairly fire-free spring in southern Oregon up until mid-March; since then, the ODF Southwest Oregon District has responded to 14 fires, all human-caused. These fires were stopped at just over 10 acres accumulatively. The beginning of fire season and Low fire danger brings regulations; these activities are known to cause fires and will be prohibited with the start of fire season:
- No debris burning, including piles and debris burned in burn barrels.
- No fireworks on or within 1/8 of a mile of ODF-protected land.
- Exploding targets and tracer ammunition, or any bullet with a pyrotechnic charge in its base, are prohibited.
- Campfires are allowed in designated campgrounds, and on private land with the landowner’s permission. Portable stoves using liquefied or bottled fuels may be used in areas clear of vegetation at any time.
- Smoking while traveling will only be allowed in enclosed vehicles on improved roads, in boats on the water and other specifically designated locations.
- Any electric fence controllers must be approved by a nationally recognized testing laboratory, such as Underwriters Laboratories Inc., or be certified by the Department of Consumer and Business Services and be installed and used in compliance with the fence controller’s instructions for fire safe operation.
The start of fire season also means regulations on industrial activities. Under IFPL I (one), fire season requirements are in effect, in addition to the following:
- A Firewatch is required at this and all higher levels unless otherwise waived.
For more information about the Oregon Department of Forestry’s Fire Season regulations, please call or visit the Southwest Oregon District unit office nearest to you:
Medford Unit, 5286 Table Rock Rd., Central Point – (541) 664-3328
Grants Pass Unit, 5375 Monument Dr., Grants Pass – (541) 474-3152
Additional information about fire season is also available online on our website, www.swofire.com, our Facebook page, @ODFSouthwest and our X account, @swofire.