OAR 629-048-0310: Fees for Prescribed Burning

(1) Any prescribed burning on forestland subject to level 1 regulation (OAR 629-048-0100) requires payment of a non-refundable registration fee of $.50/acre and upon accomplishment (see section (3) of this rule), a burn fee as further described in sections (2), (3), (5), (6) and (8) below. (2) Burn fees for all forms of prescribed burning, including but not limited to, broadcast burning and burning of piles (whether in-unit, on landings, or from rights-of-way) shall be assessed (where required) against the total acres in the unit from which the forest fuels were accumulated, as described in the burn registration. (3) The first time that fire is applied to a prescribed burn unit, regardless of actual accomplishment, payment of a burn fee is required. Burn fees shall be charged according to the following schedule: (a) If the registration of planned burning includes only landing or right-of-way piles, the burn fee shall be $.50 per acre registered. Subsequent attempts to improve accomplishment only in landing or right-of-way piles in the same unit, in the same calendar year or the two following calendar years, shall not incur additional fees. (b) If the registration of planned burning includes other than landing or right-of-way piles, the burn fee shall be $3.10 per acre registered. Subsequent attempts to improve accomplishment in any portion of the same unit, in the same calendar year or the two following calendar years, shall not incur additional fees. (c) If the registration of planned burning includes any combination of burn treatments that include landing or right-of-way piles with broadcast or in-unit pile burning, the burn fee shall be $2.60 per acre for each in-unit treatment registered upon the first attempt of each treatment. Landing or right-of-way piles will be $.50 per acre registered upon the first attempt to burn any of those piles. Subsequent attempts to improve accomplishment in any portion of the same unit, in the same calendar year or the two following calendar years, shall not incur additional fees. (4) (a) As used in this rule, "landing" means any location logs are yarded to for processing (trimming ends or limbs and tops remaining after yarding) and assembling for forwarding or loading onto trucks, including each loading site that may occur along a road. Consequently, a landing pile contains only those residues resulting from the processing, and not additional forest fuels accumulated from growth on the site or the felling process. (b) As used in this rule, "right-of-way piles" means any accumulated forest fuels that come only from the area cleared in the pioneering stage of road construction after appropriate utilization. (5) Areas burned as a result of escaped fires that are outside the description of the registered burn area shall not be assessed fees if the fire outside of the described area is immediately attacked for wildfire suppression. If the fire outside of the described area is managed as a prescribed fire then every additional acre burned shall incur a registration fee of $.50 per acre and a burn fee of $3.10 per acre. (6) Notwithstanding section (3) of this rule, forest health maintenance burning on forestland subject to Level 1 regulation, where significant fuel reduction has been accomplished through underburning within the last five years and where there are no piled forest fuels on the site, shall be charged a burn fee of $.50 per acre. (7) The forester shall prepare monthly billings to collect the appropriate registration and burn fees from the operator, federal land manager, landowner or timber owner whose name is recorded on the registration form for billing purposes. (8) Notwithstanding sections (1) and (3) of this rule, each burn unit requires a minimum combined registration and burn fee of $30. To reduce processing costs, the forester may elect to collect both registration and burn fees prior to accomplishment, for landing, right-of-way, or maintenance units less than 30 acres on one combined billing. The forester may elect to collect both registration and burn fees prior to accomplishment, for broadcast, underburning, or in-unit piles units less than 9 acres on one combined billing. (9) Notwithstanding sections (1), (3) and (7) of this rule, in accordance with ORS 477.562(6), a federal land management agency may enter into a cooperative agreement with the forester for payment of registration and burn fees at an annual flat rate. The rate shall be based on estimated acres to be treated as a percentage of total acres on all ownerships, applied against the overall annual estimated operating cost of the Smoke Management Plan. Any such agreement shall have a provision that allows for periodic adjustment of the rate based on actual experience. (10) Notwithstanding section (7) of this rule, any person or entity described in ORS 477.406(1) with a prior record of timely payment may, at the discretion of the forester, enter into a cooperative agreement for the efficient administration and payment of registration and burn fees provided all payments equal no less than the registration rate described in section (1) of this rule times the number of acres registered plus the burn fee rate in sections (3) or (6) of this rule, as appropriate, times the number of acres accomplished.