Controlled Burn Continues Friday, February 28th: USFS 2060-300 Road Near the Wonder Trail
CONTROLLED BURNING UPDATE: Weather and conditions were good today and burn crews were able to get through 30 acres of the controlled underburn above Reeder Reservoir, the source of our drinking water. There will be some lingering smoke in town this evening and overnight. You may see and smell smoke throughout the community from downtown and west through the length of Siskiyou Blvd. Please close your windows tonight and visit smokewiseashland.org for additional health tips.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28th
Tomorrow, the controlled underburn will continue above Reeder Reservoir on 20 acres. The controlled burn is located south of the Wonder Trail and below the USFS 2060-300 road (upper Hitt Road) and has a planned beginning time of 10 a.m. Traffic will be heavy at times on the 2060 and 2060-300 roads.
Trails are not closed, but we recommend avoiding the USFS 2060-300 Road and trails that could be smoky on the west side of the watershed (Granite St gate). At different times during the day tomorrow, smoke may impact recreation trails. You can check the Ashland watershed camera to see where smoke is moving.
Potential Smoke Impact
Smoke will be highly visible from many parts of Ashland.
No roads or trails will be closed, however, some smoke impacts could occur close to the controlled burn around USFS 2060-300 (upper Hitt Road trail) and several recreation trails.
Smoke sensitive people should avoid the area closest to the controlled burns.
In the evening, light smoke may enter neighborhoods and town along Ashland Creek, the plaza, and all areas down to Bear Creek. Please follow recommendations on smokewiseashland.org for smoke protection, keep windows closed, and stay inside as necessary.
USFS 2060-300 Road Controlled Burn in Red - Wednesday, February 26th
Why We Conduct Burns
A recent article in the Ashland Daily Tidings explains more about why we use controlled burns. See 'Fighting Fire with Fire' for details.
Underburn - Ashland Prescribed Fire Training Exchange
More Information
If you live close to a burn location, keep windows closed and if you smell smoke, follow health recommendations on Smokewise Ashland.
Text-based notifications: text the word "WATERSHED" in the message line to 888777 as the recipient. You will get an auto-confirmation text.
Conditions for burning are good with a weather system that will move smoke away from town. Controlled burns are a critical part of creating a safer, more resilient landscape and community in the face of increasing fire risk due to climate change and overgrown forests. Find out more about why we burn.
