Umatilla National Forest launches interactive prescribed burning map

The Umatilla National Forest has launched a new Prescribed Fire Activity Interactive Map that the Forest will use this fall to keep the public up to date regarding Forest burning activities. (This interactive map will be best viewed using Chrome, Safari, Firefox or Internet Explorer 9 or higher).

The interactive map is live for you to explore now and allows the user to zoom in on certain areas and click on a burn unit for more information (such as acreage, status, etc).

Check out the interactive prescribed burn map today for information on the status of burn units, burn unit locations and more. Prescribed fire activities will be displayed using the below fire status information. 

Prescribed Fire Status:

• Active - Unit is planned to be burned shortly, is currently being burned, or was burned recently
• Completed - Burn is declared out
• Upcoming - This unit is planned for burning within the next 2 years. Visitors may see fire crews preparing control lines
• Out-year Planning - Identified for prescribed burning in 2-5 years pending completion of other activities

The data represents the recently completed, active, upcoming, and out-year prescribed fire planning for the Umatilla National Forest. All units have been analyzed under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Burning typically takes place once all other activities described in the project analysis have been completed. Prescribed burning is highly dependent on precise weather and fuel conditions, and managers coordinate with the Oregon Department of Forestry to minimize air quality impacts to local communities.

Frequent, low-intensity fire is essential for healthy forests and reducing the risk of uncharacteristic wildfire caused by excessive fuel buildup. Prescribed burning is an effective tool for removing excessive amounts of brush, shrubs, and trees, while also encouraging the growth of native vegetation. Prescribed burning is also highly dependent on weather conditions, which have to be within a narrow criteria window in order to use prescribed fire. Factors such as wind speed and direction, temperatures, relative humidity, and fuel moistures are all taken into consideration prior to implementing a prescribed burn operation. 

Each prescribed burn represents many years of planning and preparation to ensure burn operations meet prescriptive conditions that allow for successful burns that provide multiple benefits to resources. The forest works closely with the Oregon Department of Forestry and Washington Department of Natural Resources in accordance with the State’s Smoke Management Plans to determine when, where, and how much is burned on a daily basis.  Potential smoke impacts, looking at volume of smoke, direction of spread, and mixing heights, are determined prior to each burn.  All burns will be monitored until a season ending rain or snow occurs.