HOOD RIVER, Ore. (December 9, 2024) —Fire managers at the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area are planning to conduct pile burning on National Forest System lands on the Washington side near Upper Major Creek and Drano Lake areas, as well as St. Cloud and Collins Slide. Also included is the Seven Mile area on the east Oregon side of the Gorge.
The piles are comprised of woody and vegetative material from thinning and vegetation management activities, which remove flammable natural fuels from the landscape to prevent them from carrying and intensifying wildfire. Each pile burn is the culmination of years of planning and preparation. Thinning helps fire managers reduce the threat and intensity of wildfires and restores a forest structure in which large, widely spaced pine and oak trees dominate the landscape.
The actual day of ignition for the pile burning projects will depend on factors such as humidity, wind speed and direction, temperature and moisture levels of understory vegetation. Burns only occur on days when smoke management offices indicate suitable weather conditions for smoke dispersal are present. The target timeframe is December 10, 2024 through February 28, 2025.
Pile burning is conducted when ventilation, or atmospheric lift, is present to enable effective dispersion of smoke, but smoke may still be visible in surrounding communities. Note that piles may smolder, burn, and produce smoke for several days after ignition.
Where necessary, motorists should reduce speeds and turn on headlights. If unsure whether smoke or a fire is from a planned pile burn, citizens can contact their local fire department or the National Scenic Area office at 541-308-1700.
For more up to date information about pile burning, you can follow our social media updates at www.facebook.com/crgnsa/.
Additional information about the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area is available at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/crgnsa.
