Fire is broadly considered an important functional process in forests, rangelands and most other ecosystems. The reduction of periodic fire due to extensive fire suppression practices has been one of the major drivers of ecosystem degradation in the northern Blue Mountains in northeastern Oregon and southeastern Washington.
This event exemplified the power of collective action in addressing ecological challenges and promoting sustainable land management practices.
Prescribed fire is a tool that is used to restore those ecosystems and maintain them in a resilient state. Prescribed fire — particularly prescribed underburning — is currently used primarily on federal lands in the region. Many private, non-industrial landowners in the region have expressed interest in using prescribed fire on their lands, but there are few pathways for landowners to implement this tool. As a result, prescribed fire is rarely used on private, non-industrial ownerships.
In response, the Oregon State University Extension Service’s Forestry and Natural Resources Program and Fire Program hosted the annual Northern Blues Restoration Partnership field tour at the OSU Oberteuffer Research Forest in Union County in October 2024. The focus was on prescribed fire on private lands and options for increasing the accessibility of prescribed fire to private landowners.
The tour brought together about 70 people including landowners, Tribal members, college students and representatives of nonprofit organizations and federal, state and local agencies. The tour featured a mix of presentations, group conversations and informal discussions followed by a small educational prescribed burn for anyone who wanted to participate.
Much of the tour was focused on providing information about prescribed fire and learning about how different programs, organizations and agencies could support the use of prescribed fire on private lands.
As a result of the tour, participants walked away with a better understanding of the current opportunities and challenges to implementing prescribed fire on private lands. The tour presented an opportunity for many individuals who rarely interact on this topic to come together in a peer-learning environment to start creating shared visions for prescribed fire on private lands.
The tour also resulted in an increase in the number and depth of conversations regarding prescribed fire within the Northern Blues Restoration Partnership. A group of local partners will now be hosting a prescribed fire skills training event in Wallowa County and hope to implement at least two prescribed burns on private land in the county in 2025 if weather conditions allow. Interest in establishing a local Prescribed Burn Associations has also increased dramatically.
The tour not only enhanced knowledge but also strengthened community bonds and inspired actionable plans, such as the upcoming prescribed burns in Wallowa County. This event exemplified the power of collective action in addressing ecological challenges and promoting sustainable land management practices.
