News Release

Fall 2024 Prescribed Burns Planned

Date: October 28, 2024
Contact: Phil Heitzke, 541-594-3062
Contact: Marsha McCabe, 541-594-3091

CRATER LAKE, OREGON - Crater Lake National Park Fire Management staff are implementing the following three prescribed fire projects in the park this fall:

1. Munson Valley Defensible Space - This unit includes 8 acres of piles that were cut in park housing in Munson Valley. 
2. Munson Valley Road - This unit includes 160 acres of piles and material that were cut last year along Munson Valley Road. The project will start at the Annie Springs entrance station and travel 7 miles to the north along the roadway.
3. North Entrance Road - This unit includes 10 acres of piles on the east side of the road.

Thanks to recent snowfall, fire managers at the park have begun burning these piles and will continue throughout the fall as conditions allow. Weather, fire behavior, and smoke forecasts will be monitored before, during, and after the burns to ensure desired fire effects are achieved. Fire management personnel will patrol and monitor the prescribed fires until they are completely extinguished.

The National Park Service uses thinning (the mechanical removal of small diameter trees and brush) and prescribed fire as a tool to help reduce the intensity of wildfires by removing excess accumulations of forest fuels that have resulted as a consequence of over 100 years of actively suppressing fires. This project will not only provide much needed defensible space around critical park structures but will also improve forest health and protect wildlife habitat by reducing the amount of dead woody debris that can lead to larger and more intense fire events.

Highway 62 through the park and Munson Valley Road to Rim Village are expected to remain open during prescribed fire operations. Motorists should watch for signs and reduce their speed, as personnel and equipment are working on and adjacent to the road.                                              

For additional information, please call Crater Lake National Park’s Fire Management Officer at 541-594-3062.