LA GRANDE, Ore. — The Oregon Department of Forestry has terminated the fire season for forestlands protected by the Northeast Oregon District, the agency announced in a press release.

The termination went into effect on Tuesday, Oct. 22, and includes over 2 million acres of private, public, state, county, municipal and tribal lands under ODF protection.

The Northeast Oregon District includes lands in Union, Baker, Umatilla and Wallowa counties along with small portions of Grant, Malheur and Morrow counties.

The end of fire season means landowners protected by ODF can burn residential yard debris and burn barrels without a permit. This does not relieve landowners or forest operators of lawful responsibilities concerning the safe burning of debris or slash piles.

Landowners need to make sure they have their smoke management notifications filed and follow all forecasts for burning. Check with your local ODF office before lighting fires.

If you are under the protection of a rural or city fire department, please be sure to follow their burning restrictions. Additionally, burning within the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation requires a permit from CTUIR. You must follow all requirements as outlined in the permit. Burn permits for burn barrels or small amounts of yard debris are not required on lands protected only by the ODF Northeast Oregon District.

Burning slash from forestry and logging activities requires a Notification of Operation/PDM from ODF. In addition to this permit, landowners are required to obtain a smoke management permit from their local ODF office.

Before burning in Northeast Oregon, it is also required to obtain the smoke management weather forecast. For smoke management forecasts, call 541-963-404 or visit the following website: http://www.odf.state.or.us/DIVISIONS/protection/fire_protection/Daily/neo.htm

To report a fire, call the Blue Mountain Interagency Dispatch Center at 541-963-7171 or dial 911.