Wildfire Precaution Levels Rise in NW Oregon

Wildfire season is here, officials ask Oregon residents to be careful.

File photo Salem-News.com

(SALEM, Ore.) - Triple-digit temperatures forecast for this week along with a chance of thunderstorms toward the weekend have prompted the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) to increase fire safety restrictions on industrial activity on northwestern private and non-federal public forestlands effective Tuesday morning.

Within ODF's Northwest Oregon Fire Protection District (includes the Astoria, Forest Grove and Tillamook districts), the Industrial Fire Precaution Levels (IFPL) will move up at 1:00 a.m. on Tuesday. The IFPLs regulate logging activity during the wildfire season. These changes will take effect tomorrow:

• NW-1 zone – from Level 1 to Level 2
• NW-2 and NW-3 zones - from Level 2 to Level 3

The NW-1 zone is a strip along the Coast in Tillamook County. NW-2 encompasses Clatsop County and northern Tillamook County. NW-3 takes in Columbia County and northern Washington County. On the Tillamook State Forest, the rise to IFPL 3 has prompted closure of all off-highway vehicle trails. OHVs will be restricted to maintained forest roads only.

Fire safety restrictions are also scheduled to tighten Tuesday morning in the West Oregon Fire Protection District. The changes include:

• SL-1 zone – from Level 1 to Level 2
• WO-1 zone –from Level 2 to Level 3

The SL-1 zone encompasses the western portion of Lincoln County, and WO-1 takes in Polk and Benton counties, in addition to the eastern portion of Lincoln County.

ODF's North Cascade Forest Protection District, which includes the eastern portions of Clackamas, Marion, Linn and Multnomah counties, will join the other districts in stepping up its fire precaution levels. The district will go from Level 2 to Level 3 on Tuesday.

Maps of the various zones can be viewed on the Department of Forestry Website, oregon.gov/ODF/FIRE/precautionlevel.shtml.