BLM issues NW fire prevention orders to reduce threat of human-caused wildfires
No fireworks, exploding targets, metallic targets
PORTLAND, Ore. (KTVZ) Effective Wednesday, May 12, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management is prohibiting the use of fireworks, exploding targets or metallic targets for target shooting, sky lanterns, and firing tracer or incendiary devices on all BLM-managed public lands throughout Oregon and Washington.
Additionally, the Northwest Oregon District is announcing a year-round fire order to decrease human-caused wildfires as well.
May is ‘Wildfire Awareness Month,’ and the BLM and partner agencies encourage all visitors to do their part to protect public lands and local communities from wildfires this year. As public lands continue to see high visitation rates in Oregon and Washington, all visitors must be aware of fire restrictions and fire closures on BLM public lands.
The Holiday Farm Fire has been mostly contained since October, but the Bureau of Land Management is now proposing salvage harvesting, a controversial forest management practice where trees affected by natural disaster are logged.
The BLM is proposing more than 1,500 acres in salvage timber sales on the McKenzie watershed and could bypass environmental assessments because the Trump administration has expanded the use of categorical exclusions, which allow federal agencies to move faster on salvage harvesting. But the BLM says environmental impacts are still considered in this rule and selling affected trees would mean fewer living trees cut down this year.