Pile burning cancelled near Walton Lake

Fire managers on the Ochoco National Forest have cancelled the planned ignition of hand piles along Forest Service Road 22 leading to Walton Lake.

The project will be considered again this fall when cooler, wet conditions return.

The piles were determined to be too green to fully consume.

The hand pile unit is roughly 100 acres, located about 25 miles east of Prineville along a five-mile stretch of road beginning at Ochoco Ranger Station.

The piles are left over from a mechanical thinning project to reduce hazardous fuels and fire danger along the popular route.