Post Fire Recreation ~ Mt. Jefferson Wilderness
Many popular areas were burned in the fire which affects visitors' experience
and use of the area.
Wonder what your favorite area is like now? Take
a Tour to see
a 360 degree panorama of the B&B Post Fire area as well as photos
and aerial photos of several spots.
Post Fire Safety
The 2003 Booth & Bear wildfire along with the 2006 Puzzle
Fire created numerous hazards for people recreating in the burned
over
areas
of the Mt.
Jefferson
Wilderness.
Hazards will continue for many years as burned
trees continue to deteriorate. Safety Tips
for traveling in burned areas.
The pictures and captions below show some of the hazards.
Please Note:
The information we have here is for the portion of the Mt. Jefferson
Wilderness on the west side of the crest of the Cascades (within
the Willamette National Forest). The portion of the Wilderness
on the east side of the crest is in the Deschutes National
Forest. Post fire conditions
on the drier, east side can be different from the west side.
Contact Detroit
Ranger District for more information on west side conditions
503-854-3366
Contact the Deschutes
National Forest for information on east side conditions
541-383-5300
Trails are difficult to find in some areas and sink holes
can appear where roots have burned under the trail
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Numerous hazard trees have been left in a very precarious
position and can fall at anytime.
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Numerous log bridges have been destroyed or damaged creating
unsafe crossings
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Impacts on Use
Many popular areas were burned in the B&B Fire, including
parts of the Eight Lakes Basin, around Three Fingered Jack, and
the southern
portion of the Pacific Crest Trail. The fire burned some areas
completely and left other areas virtually untouched.
The Puzzle Fire affected the Marion Lake Basin including the Lake
of the Woods area.
Many visitors
may experience
a
change in the character of their favorite locations. Some people
may find that their favorite place to camp has been burned,
while other people may appreciate the opportunity to examine a
landscape
following a natural fire.
Nearby unburned areas may get additional use
as a result of people seeking out greener territory. Regardless of
exactly how, the fire affects many visitors’ experiences
and activity within the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness.
Surveys & Monitoring Since
this area is visited by so many people, the Forest Service is interested
in finding out how visitors’ use
of the area has changed, what impacts to wilderness values might result from
these changes, and what can be done to prevent any negative changes. The results
of this study will be used for the
development of a monitoring plan to track recreation-related conditions within
the burned portion of the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness.
In Summer 2005, a study was conducted within
the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness to inventory the
ecological
and social
conditions following the fire for later use in an ongoing monitoring
plan.
This is a graduate project conducted through Oregon State
University in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service, Detroit
Ranger District, with the help of students in the Service Learning
Program
at the University of Oregon.
Funding for this project has been
provided through a grant from the National Forest Foundation, designed
to assist projects that advance wilderness stewardship as laid
out by the Chief’s Wilderness Stewardship Challenge. This
grant was obtained through a partnership with the Northwest
Youth Corps. What's Next?
The results of the study started in Summer 2005 is being
used to develop a monitoring plan to track recreation-related
conditions
within
the burned portion of the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness. This plan will
be used to guide future management of the impacted area.
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