For the second year in a row, the State of Oregon is having a tough expensive fire season. Locally the fire danger is climbing fast. All of the indicators tracked by the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center’s Predictive Services Unit have passed the large fire thresholds on the south coast. Fall is traditionally the highest fire danger in the coast range and this year is looking particularly bad. Private, State, County and BLM lands are currently under a public regulated use closure that among other things restricts: smoking outside of a vehicle, open fires (including campfires), vehicles (including dirt bikes and ATVs) to improved roads only and non-industrial power saws and mowers have restricted hours of operation. In addition, vehicles must carry fire tools and a fire extinguisher when travelling in the forest. The US Forest Service has a personal use restriction in effect that varies by area, on the lands they protect. Additionally almost all large landowners are restricting access, including walk-in access, until the weather improves. The next level of public closure would be a permit entry closure, requiring people to obtain a permit to enter forestlands. Hunting, recreation, logging and other forest uses may not be closed, but access to the forest may be. “We haven’t had to put on a permit entry closure since the 1990s and I hope it doesn’t come to that this year, but if conditions don’t improve, it could happen,” according to John Flannigan Coos Forest Protective Association’s Prevention Specialist. The first thing forest users have to do is know whose land they plan to use, and then know what restrictions are in effect. Entering lands that are closed or violating the use restrictions can lead to a citation, but starting a fire (while in violation) can lead to incarceration and owing millions of dollars in suppression and damages. A Central Oregon woman is awaiting sentencing but has already been ordered to pay 7.9 million dollars in restitution for a fire she started last year with a firework. A California man that accidently started a fire mowing dry grass spent two years in prison and owes over 2 million dollars to the people whose homes the fire burned. “Coos Forest Protective Association is charged with preventing wildfires,” said Mike Robison the Coos Forest Protective Assn. District Manager.”We don’t enjoy restricting the public’s activities or access and we understand the inconveniences it causes. They are necessary to protect the people, property and resources of the area.” The Oregon Department of Forestry keeps a list of private land closures on their web site: http://www.oregon.gov/odf/pages/fire/corporate_closure.aspx. A link to the private landowner closures and additional closure information can be found on our website at www.coosfpa.net or by calling CFPA at 541-267-3161.
