Since the coronavirus pandemic began, Ashland Forest Resiliency (AFR) partners (City of Ashland, Lomakatsi Restoration Project, Rogue-River Siskiyou National Forest and The Nature Conservancy) have adjusted our work to protect you and our crew members.
IMPORTANT: With a May 1st early start to State-declared fire season, please report any smoke you see immediately to 911. All controlled burning on federal, state, and private is shut down.
Early End to 2019-2020 Controlled Burn Season: We stopped burning in mid-March to keep smoke out of the air and protect public health. Though burns are essential for community fire safety, the real and present danger of COVID-19 outweighed the benefit of burning this spring. Here’s what we accomplished this 2019-2020 season:
1,662 out of 3,201 acres of burn piles completed
90 out of 500 acres of underburning (COVID19-limited underburn season)
900 acres of ecological thinning done or in progress in Ashland watershed
Photo Courtesy of Sean Bagshaw
Work Through June 2020: COVID-19 safety measures taken by Lomakatsi are allowing workers to continue thinning dense forests below Bull Gap. This is the last phase of a 6-year/$6 million investment by the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB). This phase ties together previously thinned and burned areas. Work activities may cause slowdowns on trails. Spotters will be on-site to warn trail users as needed. Please visit ashlandwatershed.org for on-going project updates.
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