Controlled Burns Planned in Oak Creek Area
There's been a lot of talk in the state this year about ways to prevent future forest fires and restore habitat. One of the ways state officials do that is through controlled burns. The Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife plans controlled burns this month to restore habitat on the Oak Creek Wildlife Area in Yakima County. With cooler temperatures and higher humidity reducing wildfire danger, the department lifted fire restrictions on most department-managed lands on Oct. 1 which means they can perform controlled burns. A news release says the area to be burned is a total of 120 acres about 10 miles up the Oak Creek Road/drainage. They say portions of the wildlife area may be closed during the controlled burns, and people may see smoke for a couple hours after the burns.
There's no specific date when the burns may happen but it's sometime this week.