Pole Creek Fire

In September 9, 2012 a lightning strike hit the Pole Creek trailhead in the Deschutes National Forest, approximately 8 miles southwest of Sisters, Oregon. The wildfire was contained on October 17th after spreading over 26,000 acres of timber and brush. In response to this event, the Northwest Fire Science Consortium partnered with Oregon State University (OSU) College of Forestry, OSU Forestry & Natural Resources Extension, USFS Region 6, and the Central Oregon Fire Management Service to offer an opportunity for in-the-field learning in the immediate post-fire environment. Targeted audiences included fire, fuels, and forest managers, and local Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Project (CFLRP) groups. Key topic areas for the field tour were identified as: 1. Fire effects in treated ponderosa pine stands 2. Lodgepole pine/mountain pine beetle/fire interactions 3. Landscape perspectives on fire behavior, effect, and management 4. Collaborative missions, with focus in the Deschutes Skyline & Lakeview Collaboratives.