Wildfire Prevention | Willamalane Park and Recreation District

Critical Wildfire Prevention and Habitat Restoration Efforts

Willamalane conducts critical wildfire prevention work across the district. At Willamalane, nearly 1,500 acres of natural areas benefited from these efforts to reduce invasive species and restore native habitats. These coordinated efforts improve ecosystem health and protect urban-adjacent neighborhoods from wildfire risk.

Ecological burns and fuels-reduction work is conducted with the safety of neighbors and the broader community in mind. Temperature, humidity, wind conditions, and air quality must be favorable before a burn can proceed. This work is possible through the Rivers to Ridges partnership, permitting through Lane Regional Air Protection Agency, and local partners Eugene-Springfield Fire and Oregon Department of Forestry.

Hazardous Fuel Reduction

Willamalane reduces wildfire risk by prioritizing annual hazardous fuels reduction in natural areas.

Thurston Hills Natural Area

Year-round, Willamalane burns hazardous fuels at Thurston Hills Natural Area to mitigate wildfire risk. Thurston Hills Natural Area plays an important role in protecting Springfield from wildfire by its location along our community’s urban edge and its proximity to recent catastrophic wildfires, such as the Holiday Farm Fire.

Year-round, Willalamlane conducts controlled burns of the fuel piles created over the summer. This work doubles as oak restoration, selectively clearing encroaching fir trees in a fragile oak habitat. The debris piles are intentionally built in areas with invasive plant species, and native seeds were spread after burning. This method suppresses invasive species and promotes germination of newly planted seeds. In the spring, pink blankets of seablush, or rosy plectritis, bloom in the nutrient-rich footprint of the debris piles.

Dorris Ranch

A section of dense conifers at Dorris Ranch has been the latest focus for wildfire mitigation work in the district. This area is visible from the Middle Fork Path, where pathgoers may have noticed crews thinning trees, removing invasive species, and piling up dead, woody debris over the summer. In the winter of 2026, on select days when conditions align with burn prescription, Willamalane staff burn the debris piles. While this work proactively protects against the threat of uncontrolled wildfire, it also benefits adjacent oak prairie habitat. Removing select conifers in this area frees up space for the oak trees to thrive and creates an environment that supports greater biodiversity.

Ecological Burning at Dorris Ranch

Most recently, controlled burns were conducted in different sections of the oak prairie at Dorris Ranch in Oct. 2023 and Sep. 2025.

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Benefits of Ecological Burning

The Oregon white oak is a keystone species that supports more than 200 native plant and animal species, including acorn woodpeckers, western bluebirds, western gray squirrels, northern pygmy owls, and California myotis bats. Oak habitats are some of the most endangered habitats in the Pacific Northwest. Scientists estimate that there is only about 7% of the oak woodland and 2% of the oak savanna habitat remaining in the Willamette Valley today.

Using controlled, low-intensity fire as a land management tool has many benefits, including:

Recycling nutrients in the soil
Reducing fuel for uncontrolled wildfires
Replicating the historic disturbance native species have evolved to depend on

Fire as a Land Management Tool

For thousands of years, the Kalapuyan People have used fire as a tool to protect and cultivate the land. As a result, certain species in the Willamette Valley have evolved to depend on fire as a routine disruption. However, plant communities and their related habitats haven't benefitted from this means of disruption due to fire suppression and other post-settlement land management practices. A contributing factor was the forced removal of Indigenous people from the region and suppression of Indigenous land stewardship practices (such as controlled burns). The Kalapuyan People continue to make important contributions to the environment today.

Today, Willamalane works with partners to conduct controlled burns that continue to offer numerous benefits to wildlife, native plant communities, land resiliency, and protection against uncontrolled wildfires. These routine controlled burns remove invasive plant species, return nutrients to the soil, and create space for native, culturally significant wildflowers to thrive, such as camas, checker-mallow, yarrow, and western buttercup.

Success Story: Ecological Burn

In the fall of 2023, Willamalane and Rivers to Ridges partners completed a successful series of ecological burns in the oak prairie at Dorris Ranch. After the burn, Willamalane’s Natural Resources team spread native seeds throughout the prairie to capitalize on the nutrient-rich soil and primed conditions. The following spring, the prairie put on a spectacular wildflower display of purple camas and pink checkermallow blooms, displaying the ability of low-intensity fire to recycle nutrients in the soil and create favorable conditions for fire-adapted plants to thrive. See more photos of the spring wildflowers here.