Fire season in this corner of Oregon will end Sunday, October 1, the Oregon Department of Forestry said.
“Thank you for all efforts on prevention, fire watches, and response during the summer months,” wrote Tillamook District Forester Kate Skinner in a Sept. 28 email signed by the three Oregon Department of Forestry district foresters for the Forest Grove, Tillamook, and Astoria districts.
Skinner said the decision was made thanks to recent rainfall totals and an eye to the longer forecast.
Fire season will end at 1 a.m. Sunday for the entire Northwest Oregon Fire Protection Association region. It originally began June 14.
The NWOFPA region includes the entirety of the Tillamook State Forest and stretches north to the Columbia River, west to the Pacific Ocean, south to Sheridan, and east to parts of Gales Creek, the Killin Wetlands outside of Banks and to Scappoose. Locations in and within 1/8 of a mile of the NWOFPA region are considered lands protected by the ODF.
The public and industrial users of local forests can stay informed of current fire restrictions by visiting the agency’s Fire Restrictions & Closures website or calling their local ODF or protective association office. Up-to-date recorded information on burning can also be found by dialing 503-325-7215.
Chas Hundley is the editor of the Gales Creek Journal and sister news publications the Banks Post and the Salmonberry Magazine. He grew up in Gales Creek and has a cat.
