What fire fighting resources are used in the park?Fires near developed areas and roads are accessible to fire engines. Most of the park is roadless however, and smokejumpers and rappelers are frequently utilized for remote fires far from roads or trails. Many fires are accessed by firefighters hiking into them, either on park trails or off trail, depending on location.Helicopters are sometimes used to drop water on fires. Air tankers might also used in the park, either dropping water or a chemical fire retardant. Use of retardant requires approval from the park Superintendent. Is water ever taken out of Crater Lake to extinguish fires?No. Helicopters can only use water from pre-approved locations and never dip water out of Crater Lake.Does the park let fires burn, or have a “let burn policy?”No. Every fire receives a management response and is staffed with fire management personnel. Most fires are managed for full suppression. Occasionally, a modified suppression strategy will be used, but only under specific conditions. Essentially, the fire needs to be in right place at the right time with the right resources available to manage it, with the right weather conditions present and predicted.Does the park implement prescribed fires?Yes. Much of the lower elevations in the southern and northeastern portions of the park support tree and plant species that have evolved with, and are dependent on frequent low intensity fire. Examples are the Ponderosa Pine, Sugar Pine, Douglas Fir, Quaking aspen and bitterbrush, to name a few. The park has implemented prescribed fire in these areas in the past. Future prescribed fire projects are planned.Why are there piles of wood/logs along some of the park roads?The forest along road corridors is unnaturally thick due to the extra sunlight (called “edge effect”). The extra vegetation along the road corridors can lead to increased fire behavior and make fire fighting efforts less effective. Fire management personnel, as well as contracted fire crews have been thinning road corridors and piling the cut material. Once the material is sufficiently dry the piles are burned by fire management personnel during favorable weather conditions, usually late fall or late spring while there is snow on the ground but not completely covering the piles. Past, present, and future thinning projects can be seen along the West Highway 62 corridor.Why is there black plastic on the piles?The plastic keeps the woody material inside the pile dry. This allows fire management personnel to burn the piles under wet/snowy conditions to minimize the risk of unwanted fire spread. Fire management personnel remove and recycle as much of the plastic as possible during ignitions. Research conducted by the EPA and Oregon Department of Forestry suggests piles covered with a specific type of plastic (polyethylene) actually burn cleaner and with fewer emissions than piles not covered at all.Return to Wildlandfire general information. |
Last updated: August 11, 2022