Natural fire start offers fuels reduction opportunity; Dillon Creek Fire
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The 19-acre Dillon Creek Fire burns 15-miles southeast of Chemult, Ore. in the Fremont-Winema National Forest.
CHEMULT, Ore. - The Dillon Creek fire started by lightning Friday, May 19, 2023, and was discovered the next day burning 19 acres within the Fremont-Winema National Forest.
Located in the Chemult Ranger District within a footprint already planned for prescribed fire treatment, this fire offers a strategic advantage to return natural fire to a fire-adapted landscape.
The Dillon Creek Fire is burning approximately 15 miles southeast of Chemult, Ore., south of the Silver Lake Highway and east of US Highway 97.
Fire suppression resources are currently on the ground preparing containment lines to allow the fire to renew the forest landscape on 400 to 3,000 acres of restoration project area.
Fire managers can use natural ignitions such as lightning to mimic natural fire in the right conditions. The abundance of green grass this spring and coming moisture at week’s end opens this window of opportunity to reduce the buildup of surface fuels and minimize future catastrophic fires.
This natural low-intensity fire provides ideal conditions for a modified suppression strategy. utilizing natural barriers and road features to achieve fire-fighter safety, fuel reduction, and forest renewal which enhances wildlife habitat and restores nutrients while reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfire. This low-intensity fire will protect this area against future extreme wildfire growth.
Fire managers employ a variety of tactics to protect forests and communities from wildfire. The Dillon Creek Fire offers an opportunity to accomplish this goal with natural tactics.
The Dillon Creek Fire lies within the Klamath River Basin Project area. The Klamath River Basin was identified as one of 21 high-risk landscapes to receive increased funding under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment Act and the Inflation Reduction Act in January 2023. This landscape encompasses the entire Klamath River watershed across California and Oregon. An area shared by five national forests including the Fremont-Winema.
In January 2022, the Forest Service launched the Wildfire Crisis Strategy in coordination with states, Tribes, and other partners to address wildfire risks to critical infrastructure, protect communities, and make forests more resilient. By prioritizing areas around communities most at risk and then increasing treatments across the whole landscape, these projects will help mitigate extreme wildfire and eventually result in sustainable healthy forests, resistant to extreme wildfire.
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