Forestry department closes shooting lanes near Timber for fire mitigation work

The Oregon Department of Forestry closed the North Fork Wolf Creek Shooting Lanes in the Tillamook State Forest this week to tackle maintenance and fire prevention work at the site.

The closure is expected to last through September 1.

"The department is trying to be proactive before Northwest Oregon's historically peak fire conditions start in September," the agency said.

Even before the peak fire season, forestry and local department firefighters have been busy in the Tillamook State Forest.

"To date there have been approximately six fires believed to be related to target shooting," ODF spokesperson Jessica Neujahr said in an email to this publication. She noted it wasn't always possible to link a fire to a specific cause.

Four of the fires were north of Highway 26 in the vicinity of the shooting lanes, Neujahr said

Forestry crews will clear burned materials from previous fires, remove grass and underbrush to create fire break around the area, improve parking and turn-arounds, and reshape the four shooting lanes.

"The fires in the area did prompt more immediate implementation of this project," Neujahr said.

The closure will not affect the nearby Four County Point Trail or Trailhead, she said.