The property that was burned is located just east of Cook Park at the end of SW 85th Street. Clean Water Services owns the property and is restoring it as an oak savannah. TVF&R helped them do so by setting small brush fires designed to drill firefighters on brush and field firefighting techniques. The goal was to burn off the non-native vegetation which will allow native species to return and thrive.
Hot and dry conditions this time of year produce ideal training circumstances because smoke rises rapidly and fuels burn quickly. Fire crews kept a close eye on the weather, and if certain weather parameters weren’t favorable for a safe burn, fire commanders and Clean Water Services advisors planned to cancel the event.
TVF&R conducts brush fire training every two years. Past burns have taken place in the Stafford basin, at Brown’s Ferry Park in Tualatin and on Cooper Mountain west of Beaverton.
