All Oregon forestry districts enter fire season restrictions

Fire season tightened across Oregon on June 15, bringing every Oregon Department of Forestry district under restrictions meant to keep human-caused wildfires from starting in the first place. In Union County, the change landed on ground that was already under regulated use fire season, with county rules in effect since June 3 and dry conditions spreading across Northeast Oregon.

The statewide order means some public and work-related outdoor activities now face limits, especially anything that can throw sparks or leave embers behind. ODF said campfires may be banned in some places or allowed only in approved campgrounds, and fireworks are prohibited on forest land, including state, federal and private lands protected by the agency. ODF also points residents to its fire-restrictions map and Before You Burn resources for debris-burning rules, which can require a permit or be banned altogether depending on the local district.

Union County’s local checklist is even more specific. Burn barrels are allowed only between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m., and they must sit inside a 10-foot cleared radius and 25 feet from structures. A heavy metal screen is required, and a person must stay with the fire at all times, with water and a shovel on hand. Recreational fires are allowed only in approved fire rings less than six feet in diameter, and those fires must be constantly attended until they are fully out.

County leaders also warned that the rules can tighten further if conditions worsen. If fire danger becomes extreme, Union County said a complete ban on outdoor fires outside incorporated cities could be imposed. The county’s regulated use fire season is set to run through September 30 unless commissioners extend or modify it.

The regional picture showed why officials moved early. The Blue Mountain Interagency Dispatch Center listed ODF - Northeast Oregon in effect and showed high dispatch levels in several fire-danger areas, including the Union and Baker County valleys, the Elkhorns, the Central Blues and the Eagle Caps. ODF, which protects more than 16 million acres of private, county, state and federal land in Oregon, is treating June’s dry stretch as a warning that local choices now carry direct wildfire risk.