Oregon Smoke Information

Fire Season on lands protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry’s (ODF) Southwest Oregon District begins Saturday, June 1, at 12:01 a.m. The fire danger level will be “Low” (green) and the Industrial Fire Precaution Level (IFPL) will be 1 (one). Lands affected by this declaration include state, private, county, city and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) forestlands in Jackson and Josephine counties. The recent weather patterns are changing from frequent rain to more sun exposure, and thunderstorm potentials have been predicted this week. Due to the weather outlook and current conditions, Fire Season is being declared. Beginning Saturday, the burning of debris piles and the use of burn barrels for burning debris will no longer be allowed in Jackson and Josephine counties. Over the past couple of weeks, our crews have responded to multiple debris burns that have escaped; landowners are encouraged to check their previously burned piles from this spring and confirm that they h...

Brookings during the Chetco Bar fire in 2017, Photo by Shawn Weagle, National Weather Service With wildfire season just around the corner, it’s time for people in Oregon to make sure their homes are ready to resist smoke, they know how to track air quality conditions and they understand how to safeguard their health during severe smoke. To mark Wildfire Awareness Month, the Oregon Health Authority’s Public Health Division and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality are offering ways to prepare for wildfire smoke. A good first step: Become familiar with DEQ’s Air Quality Index. The color-coded Air Quality Index provides current air quality conditions. The index also includes specific health-based recommendations . It ranks air quality as follows: Green is good. Yellow is moderate. Orange is unhealthy for sensitive groups. Sensitive groups include those who have heart and lung conditions, such as asthma, children, pregnant women and the elderly. Red is unhealth...