Prescribed burns planned on Coos Bay BLM lands
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NORTH BEND, Ore. – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will begin burning slash piles on BLM-managed lands the week of Nov. 14, 2022, and more burns are planned throughout the winter as the agency supports active timber management and forest health in southwest Oregon.
The prescribed burns will occur in a variety of locations on BLM-managed lands in Douglas, Coos, and Curry Counties.
The BLM will burn in twelve timber sale units with slash piles in the Signal Tree and West Fork Smith River areas. Each prescribed burn is typically 100 acres or less. Carefully burning during safe conditions provides an opportunity for the BLM to reduce abundant fuels left on the ground after forest management activities, thus reducing the risk of future wildfires.
In Curry County, the BLM will conduct prescribed burns on 100 acres, as the BLM uses prescribed fire to dispose of tanoak and other vegetation that is infected with Sudden Oak Death. These efforts help slow the spread of the disease.
Specific details on where burns will occur in the Coos Bay areas is available at orric.org/rxfire.shtml. Those with questions can also contact the BLM’s Coos Bay District Office at 541-756-0100.
Qualified agency firefighters plan and carry out prescribed fire operations. These professionals coordinate with several agencies to ensure the burns occur during proper weather and under safe conditions, but smoke may be visible from nearby communities. The agency makes every effort to minimize the impact of smoke on residents. After the burns, fire personnel patrol the area to ensure the fire remains under control and is properly extinguished.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.