Fire season begins this week in Douglas County

ROSEBURG, Ore. – The 2021 fire season is about to begin in Douglas County.

At the stroke of midnight on Friday, May 28, fire season will officially begin for all private, county, state, and Bureau of Indian Affairs lands within the Douglas District as well as public lands within the Umpqua National Forest and the Bureau Land Management’s Roseburg District are included in the declaration.

Public use restrictions will be implemented, including the following:

Smoking is prohibited while traveling, except in vehicles on improved roads, in boats on the water, and at other designated locations.
Backyard debris burning, including the use of burn barrels, is prohibited.
Open fires are prohibited, including campfires, cooking fires and warming fires, except at designated sites.
Charcoal and pellet BBQs are only allowed at fully developed and maintained residential home sites when used in areas that are free of flammable vegetation. A charged garden hose or a 2 ½ pound or larger fire extinguisher must be immediately available. Portable cooking stoves using liquefied or bottled fuels are allowed elsewhere.
The use of fireworks, exploding targets, and tracer ammunition is prohibited. In addition, the use of sky lanterns is prohibited year-round in Oregon.
Motor vehicles, including motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles, are only allowed on improved roads that are free of flammable vegetation. This restriction is waived on private lands during low fire danger or when vehicles are used for the culture and harvest of agricultural crops. In addition, each vehicle with three or more wheels traveling on forest roads must have an axe, a shovel, and one gallon of water or one operational 2½ pound or larger fire extinguisher. Motorcycles must be equipped with one gallon of water or one operational 2 ½ pound or larger fire extinguisher.
Any electric fence controller in use shall be listed by a nationally recognized testing laboratory or be certified by the Department of Consumer and Business Services and be operated in compliance with the manufacturer’s instructions.

The following restrictions are based on the official fire danger for the Douglas District, which can be found online at www.dfpa.net or by calling DFPA’s 24-hour information line at (541) 672-0379:

The use of power saws for non-industrial purposes is allowed all day during LOW fire danger. This activity is permitted before 1:00 PM or after 8:00 PM during MODERATE fire danger and before 10:00 AM or after 8:00 PM during HIGH fire danger. During Extreme fire danger, non-industrial power saw use is prohibited. Each power saw is required to have a shovel and a fire extinguisher of at least 8-ounce capacity immediately available. In addition, a one-hour fire watch is required following the use of each saw. On BLM-managed lands in the Roseburg District, the use of non-industrial power saws or other equipment with internal combustion engines used for felling, bucking, skidding, or woodcutting is prohibited.
The cutting, grinding, or welding of metal for non-industrial purposes is allowed all day during LOW fire danger. This activity is permitted before 1:00 PM or after 8:00 PM during MODERATE fire danger and before 10:00 AM or after 8:00 PM during HIGH fire danger. During EXTREME fire danger, the cutting, grinding, or welding of metal is prohibited. These activities can only be conducted in an area free of flammable vegetation and a charged garden hose or a 2 ½ pound or larger fire extinguisher must be immediately available. The cutting, grinding, or welding of metal is prohibited on BLM-managed lands in the Roseburg District.
The cutting, trimming, or mowing of dried, cured grass is allowed all day during LOW fire danger. This activity is permitted before 1:00 PM or after 8:00 PM during MODERATE fire danger and before 10:00 AM or after 8:00 PM during HIGH fire danger. During Extreme fire danger, the cutting, trimming, or mowing of dried or cured grass is prohibited. The culture and harvest of agricultural crops is exempt from this requirement.
Any non-industrial improvement or development taking place on private property that utilizes power-driven machinery may operate all day during LOW fire danger. These activities are permitted before 1:00 PM or after 8:00 PM during MODERATE fire danger and before 10:00 AM or after 8:00 PM during HIGH fire danger. During EXTREME fire danger, these activities are prohibited unless a waiver has been issued. Each piece of power-driven machinery working is required to have a shovel and a 2 ½ pound or larger fire extinguisher. In addition, a fire watch is required for at least one hour once the equipment has completed work for the day.

The declaration of fire season also means the start of industrial fire regulations. On Friday, the entire Douglas District and the Umpqua National Forest will go into Industrial Fire Precaution Level I (one).