Not Just Another Prescribed Burn

With the recent restoration activity near Phil's Trailhead the past spring many folks are getting used to seeing prescribed fire near Bend. But today's prescribed burn is so much more than that. This is the first project under a new participating agreement between The Deschutes National Forest, Bend Parks and Recreation District and the Tree Farm LLC.  The agreement covers fuels reduction work on 700 acres of land within Shevlin Park, the Tree Farm neighborhood and adjacent national forest lands. The prescribed burning will reduce the impacts of a large fire on the City of Bend and improve forest health and wildlife habitat.  It is expected that burning on the 700 acres will take two to three years to complete, with burns occurring primarily in the spring and late fall.

Prescribed burning these areas, in addition to the ongoing burning between Phil’s trailhead and Cascade Lakes highway, will complete a relatively continuous series of prescribed fire treatment areas that connect the Two Bulls fire area to the north and the Deschutes River to the south. The Deschutes National Forest will do a prescribed burn on lands owned and being developed by The Tree Farm LLC.  

Forest Service personnel will conduct the burn, located on the western edge of Bend between Skyliner’s Road and Shevlin Park.  In total 82 acres are planned for burning, ignitions began at 9:30 a.m. and will finish by 2 p.m.  The prescribed burn is being done only on lands within the new Tree Farm neighborhood and no Forest Service or Shevlin Park lands are included in Tuesday’s burn.

This is a shining example of an all hands all lands approach to becoming fire adapted. The burn will increase the resiliency of the landscape and overall improve fire response.