PORTLAND, Ore. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and its partners are planning controlled ecological burns near Dorena Reservoir this fall. The burns will take place on 28 acres of land north of Bake Stewart Park, east of the Row River and west of Row River Road.
Partners for the project include the A1 Kennedy Alternative High School and the Bureau of Land Management. Those organizations have been protecting and restoring important habitat at Bake Stewart Park and the adjacent East Wildlife Area for several years. Part of that management includes controlled burns to manage and restore natural areas. It also benefits plant and animal communities, particularly endangered plants and butterflies.
Experienced and highly-trained fire crews will manage these controlled ecological burns using detailed burn plans, which provide maximum protection for the community. The Lane Regional Air Protection Agency reviews and approves the plans and specifies the conditions the burns can proceed.
All partners carefully consider weather conditions and burn only on days when the wind is forecasted to blow smoke away from residential areas and roadways. Because of this, the Corps and its partners cannot specify what days burning will occur, more than 24 hours in advance of burns. More information and updates about the burns are on the Willamette Valley Prescribed Fire Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/WillametteValleyPrescribedFire/?fref=ts.
Release no. 16-033