Prescribed burning season has arrived on Mt. Hood National Forest. If conditions are favorable, Barlow Ranger District firefighters will ignite a 400-acre prescribed fire west of Wamic over the next few weeks, depending on weather conditions.
Fire personnel may start ignitions as early as May 6 on the South Rock prescribed fire unit. The burn unit is located about three miles southwest of Pine Hollow and five miles west of Wamic. (A map of the burn unit is linked here.) Fire personnel are planning to burn up to 400 acres over three days. Weather forecasts will be assessed daily to determine whether conditions are favorable for burning. Firefighters will remain on site for several days and continue patrols until the prescribed fire is declared out.
The South Rock prescribed fire is within the footprint of the Central Wasco County All Lands Joint Chief Project. This project improves landscape resilience to disease and fire, as well as improves Oregon white oak habitat and the plants and wildlife species that depend on it. In 2021 fire personnel successfully burned about 200 acres of adjacent national forest lands.
Earlier this year the Mt. Hood National Forest was selected as a priority landscape as part of the U.S. Forest Service’s Wildfire Crisis Strategy. This designation will help the Forest to improve forest health and reduce the risk of fire impacts to surrounding communities. Prescribed burns are a critical tool for reducing hazardous fuels on the landscape, minimizing the spread of disease and pest insects, and favoring fire-adapted plant species.
Weather and wind conditions are used to help minimize smoke impacts to roadways and communities, however, visibility along nearby national forest system roads and Rock Creek Road may degrade. When smoke is present, motorists should slow down and turn on headlights. No road closures are expected, but access to Forest roads in the burn perimeter may be temporarily restricted while ignitions are active.
Fire management officials work with Oregon Department of Forestry smoke specialists to plan prescribed burns. While significant preventive measures are taken to lessen smoke impacts, weather patterns can change, and smoke could settle overnight. For more information about smoke and health, visit the Oregon Health Authority recommendations.
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