Fire Danger Levels

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Southwest Oregon District Fire Danger Levels

JACKSON & JOSEPHINE COUNTIES, Ore. – The Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) Southwest Oregon District will officially declared the start of fire season on Sunday, June 1, 2025 at 12:01 a.m. The fire danger level will be “Low” (green) and the Industrial Fire Precaution Level (IFPL) will be I (one). Lands affected by this declaration include 1.8 million acres of state, private, county, city and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) forestlands in Jackson and Josephine counties.

Consistent snow and rain across southern Oregon kept pre-season fires to a minimum until late April, when temperatures began to slowly heat up. Despite the wet spring, recent sunny and windy conditions have supported a gradual drying of vegetation. With these changes, the ODF Southwest Oregon District has responded to 12 fires for a total of 22 acres burned. As conditions continue to trend toward warmer summer-like weather, fire risk and behavior will naturally increase.

The beginning of fire season and Low fire danger brings regulations; these activities are known to cause fires and will be prohibited with the start of fire season:

• No debris burning, including piles and debris burned in burn barrels.
• No fireworks on or within 1/8 of a mile of ODF-protected land.
• Exploding targets and tracer ammunition, or any bullet with a pyrotechnic charge in its base, are prohibited.
• Campfires are allowed in designated campgrounds, and on private land with the landowner’s permission. Portable stoves using liquefied or bottled fuels may be used in areas clear of vegetation at any time.
• Smoking while traveling will only be allowed in enclosed vehicles on improved roads, in boats on the water and other specifically designated locations.
• Any electric fence controllers must be approved by a nationally recognized testing laboratory, such as Underwriters Laboratories Inc., or be certified by the Department of Consumer and Business Services and be installed and used in compliance with the fence controller’s instructions for fire safe operation.

The start of fire season also means regulations on industrial activities. Under IFPL I (one), fire season requirements are in effect, in addition to the following:

• A Firewatch is required at this and all higher levels unless otherwise waived.

For more information about the Oregon Department of Forestry’s Fire Season regulations, please call or visit the Southwest Oregon District unit office nearest to you:

Medford Unit, 5286 Table Rock Rd., Central Point – (541) 664-3328

Grants Pass Unit, 5375 Monument Dr., Grants Pass – (541) 474-3152

 Additional information about fire season is also available online on website, www.swofire.com, Facebook page, @ODFSouthwest and X account, @swofire.