The Oregon Department of Forestry, or ODF, is planning a training burn of up to 40 acres of restored grasslands at Greenbelt Land Trust’s Bald Hill Farm property in Corvallis. The timing of the burn will depend on weather conditions, with a window for a potential burn opening Monday, Sept. 14.
ODF and Greenbelt Land Trust have planned this training burn in cooperation and consultation with local fire departments, and local fire and conservation organizations and professionals.
“The burn will be managed by experienced ODF staff under required legal permits. This is a training opportunity for ODF and other local fire personnel to gain experience burning and observing fire behavior in a grass fuel model while also helping Greenbelt Land Trust achieve ecological goals for the property. Trained fire personnel from Corvallis and Philomath fire departments will join ODF staff in conducting a safe and effective burn,” said a release from Greenbelt spokesperson Matt Benotsch.
A controlled or “prescribed” burn is, as the name suggests, very different from a wildfire.
For prescribed ecological burns, the “prescription” for each burn refers to the conditions under which the burn can and will take place – this prescription is set in advance by fire professionals and considers wind direction and speed, temperature, relative humidity, fuel moisture, and smoke management. Burn operations will not begin outside of these set conditions.
“The area for this burn is restored prairie with short stature native grasses and flowers. Ecological burning has multiple benefits for native prairie habitats and makes restoration and management more effective. Willamette Valley prairies are fire adapted landscapes, and the absence of regular fire promotes the buildup of fuels and degrades native plant communities and the wildlife that depends on them,” said Benotsch.
To contact Hallie Greenberg about this story, email office@corvallisadvocate.com
Do you have a story for The Advocate? Email editor@corvallisadvocate.com