Prescribed Fire at Herbert Farm Planned for September

Sept. 7, 2021 - The Corvallis Fire Department is planning to conduct a prescribed fire at Herbert Farm & Natural Area, a 221-acre City-owned parcel near the southern edge of Corvallis. The fire will be planned and conducted by a team of experts, with two primary goals: to restore natural habitats and to reduce wildfire risk. The fire requires very specific weather conditions to ensure safety and is tentatively planned for September 23.

The Corvallis Fire Department is partnering with Corvallis Parks and Recreation and the Institute for Applied Ecology for the prescribed fire. Both organizations have been conducting restoration work at Herbert Farm since 2011. The project’s most recent work included an oak habitat project in 2018 that strengthened 6.1 acres of oak woodland and savanna located along two small creeks within the larger parcel.

Wildfires were common in the Willamette Valley before European settlers arrived. Modern land management uses regular burns to reintroduce the beneficial effects of fire into an ecosystem, encouraging fire-adapted vegetation and wildlife, and reducing the hazard of catastrophic wildfire caused by excessive fuel buildup.

The prescribed fire, also known as a controlled burn, will affect about 4 acres of Herbert Farm. Firefighters from the Corvallis Fire Department, Philomath Fire Department, Adair Rural Fire & Rescue, and Oregon Department of Forestry will maintain a robust presence at the site before, during, and after the burn, to ensure safety of the people involved and the land itself.

Depending on weather conditions on the day of the prescribed fire, some community members in south Corvallis may notice smoke at various points throughout the day. The parcel is about a mile from the Corvallis Municipal Airport, and the Fire Department has notified the airport operator about the planned burn.

For more information on the Corvallis Fire Department, go to www.corvallisoregon.gov/fire