BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT OR-030-2011-005
For release: Immediate Release
Contact: Mark Wilkening
(541) 473-6218
Vale District to Implement Spring Prescribed Burning Program
VALE, OREGON - When warmer temperatures arrive and spring showers slow, the Bureau
of Land Management Vale District will begin implementation of the spring prescribed
burning program. Prescribed fire is an essential and beneficial part of the Vale District’s
program of work.
Prescribed burning is dependent on a narrow set of weather conditions; wind speed and
direction, temperatures, relative humidity, and fuels moistures. When these values fit into
the parameters outlined in the prescribed fire plan, burning can then occur. The prescribed
fire plans are developed well in advance of the actual project implementation and reviewed
by fire staff and managers.
Prescribed burning can help reduce the damaging effects of high intensity wildfires.
Burning under favorable conditions clears out vegetation, such as small trees, shrubs, and
brush which can eventually fuel a much larger fire. Fuel treatment areas can also be used to
help successfully suppress high intensity fire.
Fires are also necessary to the ecosystem. Plants and animals that grow and live in eastern Oregon developed with fire in their environment, making fire a necessary element in their
habitat. The impacts of fire can vary dramatically with severity and intensity. The spring
prescribed burning conditions are designed to have low to moderate intensity which
produces beneficial post-fire effects. All prescribed burning activities comply with Federal, state, and local air quality and smoke
dispersal guidelines to reduce the impacts of smoke on local residents.
The Vale District Prescribed Fire/Fuel treatment areas for the spring of 2011 may include:
Woodtick - 100 acres of landscape prescribed fire that will be done cooperatively with Wallowa Whitman National Forest located near Unity Reservoir, approximately 6 miles north of Unity, OR.
Blue Poker - 300 acres of jackpot burning located near Auburn, approximately 8 miles southeast of Baker City, OR.
Woods Gulch - 100 acres just north of Durkee, OR.
Rattlesnake - 400 acres north of Hereford, OR
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Tumbleweed Burning -- 150 acres of tumbleweed jackpot burning along roadways and
fence lines throughout the Malheur and Jordan Resource Areas.
Juniper Point - 150 acres southeast of Jordan Valley.
For additional information please contact Jason Simmons (541) 473-6336 or David
LaChapelle at (541) 523-1300. Additional information about the Vale District can be found by
visiting the district website at www.blm.gov/or/districts/vale.
About the BLM: The BLM manages more land – 245 million surface acres – than any other Federal agency.
This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western States, including
Alaska. The Bureau, with a budget of about $1 billion, also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface
mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM’s multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity
of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this
by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy
production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands
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Come join the Oregon/Washington BLM on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Flickr for the latest on
outdoor opportunities, videos of your public lands, spectacular photos, and a whole lot more!
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www.youtube.com/user/blmoregon
www.twitter.com/blmoregon