Five years later, a fuels reduction project in Crooked River Ranch passed the test posed by the Alder Springs Fire
Barney Lerten
CROOKED RIVER RANCH, Ore. (KTVZ) — One of the key reasons firefighters were able to stop the spread of the fast-moving Alder Springs Fire this week was a fuels reduction project done in the area five years ago, officials said Thursday.
Here’s what they had to share on the fire’s Facebook page:
The Prineville BLM started a hazardous fuel reduction treatment in 2020 in Crooked River Ranch under the Dingell Act of 2019. With this project, over 360 acres of juniper were thinned, piled and burned with the intent of reducing the potential for wildfire to spread from BLM-administered lands onto private property in the ranch.
The project was designed to create gaps in the juniper canopy, while retaining the natural beauty of the public lands leading to the Middle Deschutes Wild and Scenic River.
The effectiveness of this project was tested this week as the Alder Springs Fire quickly moved across the Crooked River National Grassland, jumped the Middle Deschutes River and ran toward the north end of Crooked River Ranch.
Firefighters on the ground working to protect the homes and property of ranch residents reported that fire behavior reduced significantly when the fire reached one of the treated units.
Instead of burning through as a canopy fire in the juniper, the fire dropped to the grass and flame lengths reduced to a much safer and more manageable height. In other areas, the open canopy created by the fuels treatments allowed the retardant to reach the ground, helping cool and slow the growth of the fire.
In total, the Steelhead Falls hazardous fuel reduction project thinned vegetation in 12 areas along the western edge of Crooked River Ranch in order to reduce fire behavior and create opportunities for firefighters to catch wildfires coming across or out of the river canyon.
This week, the Alder Fire demonstrated the value of these treatments.