As of late last week, a during the Holiday Farm Fire have been re-opened. But officials still urge caution.
The Bureau of Land Management has ended temporary closures on public lands affected by the 2020 wildfire.
Rebecca Brooke is the field manager of the Upper Willamette Field Office for the BLM. She told KLCC that crews have finished their post-fire work in the re-opened areas, but people still need to be wary.
鈥淓verything is loose. The soil鈥檚 loose, the trees are weakened after the fire,鈥� explained Brooke. 鈥淏urned trees are weaker than green trees. So folks do need to watch out when they鈥檙e in the burned area.
鈥淲indy days are especially dangerous and folks need to be looking up for falling branches and being aware of their surroundings.鈥�
Brooke said downed trees and foliage can also create hazards in waterways, so boaters and anglers need to be careful.
The BLM has crews out planting trees in affected areas, to replace ones killed or damaged beyond recovery. This will also help control erosion in vulnerable areas.
鈥淲e are ramping up a huge reforestation effort following this fire,鈥� said Brooke. 鈥淲e planted about 1,200 acres this year, and we鈥檙e currently planning to double that next year to almost 3,000 acres. And that鈥檒l be increasing for the next several years as we try to replant after these devastating fires.鈥�
Some other areas like the gravel portions of Goodpasture Road and Mt. Hagen Road will remain closed for several more months.
Meanwhile, over, though Shellburg Falls and the High Lakes Recreation Area remain closed due to fire damage.
The 2020 wildfire season was officially the worst in state history. 1.2 million acres were burned by 2,027 fires, and over 4,000 buildings 鈥� including residences 鈥� were destroyed. 11 people died.
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