Fire season ends in Tillamook Forest

Fire season for lands protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry in this region of Oregon is over.

"We are all glad to see it go," said ODF Forest Grove District Forester Mike Cafferata in an email sent Tuesday as the agency filed the appropriate paperwork to officially close the season.

"Locally, we had the challenging fire at Lee Falls, and we appreciate all the work put in by landowners, operators, other agencies to support and recover from that incident. It could have been much worse," he added.

For those hoping to light a slash pile in ODF lands, note that a permit is still needed, and the forestry department doesn't plan on issuing them just yet.

"We don’t anticipate issuing many slash burn permits for a little while longer to ensure we get more moisture in harvest areas, but we will work with all landowners to help you accomplish your fall burning as it can be done safely," Cafferata said.

The season officially came to an end just after midnight Wednesday.