Black Butte II Fire Is Contained

I would like to thank all fire crews on the BBII fire for their hard work. According to the latest update from the Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center the fire is 100% contained and they are mopping up hot spots within the fire perimeter. The final acreage count is 578 acres and there are still some Forest Roads closed and the trail up Black Butte as well as the Metolius-Windigo trail is still closed. Hopefully they will be opened soon as they are both very popular trails. We are lucky that the Forest Service was able to respond so quickly and have the use of so many resources enabling them to get control of fire rapidly. You can get more information about the BBII fire at this website: http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/centraloregon/fire/conditions/fire-news.shtml.

One of the BBR staff recently compiled a historical listing of fires that have been near or around the Ranch since the year 2000. There have been five major forest fires, and out of those only one came close enough to destroy property. The loss of our beautiful forests is a sad occurance, but can also be of benefit to forest regeneration. I recently went for a hike up Black Crater and amidst the devastation caused by the 2006 Black Crater Fire the ground of the forest was filled with lush western ferns and a multitude of ponderosa seedlings. The circle of life continues on.

Cheers!

Katie