Task Force completes hazard tree removal in Thielsen Fire area

On Tuesday, September 8, 2020, a fire began in the Mount Thielsen Wilderness within the Diamond Lake Ranger District. An east wind event caused the fire to run northwest from the tree line near the Pacific Crest Trail and jump OR Highway 138 E. The Thielsen Fire burned almost 10,000 acres of Forest Service land, near the Diamond Lake area. The fire did not burn any home sites or commercial properties.

The Debris Management Task Force was tasked with removing nearly 2,000 hazard trees along OR 138 E on land devoted to transportation purposes, also known as “right of way”. Just over a year later, hazard tree removal work in the Thielsen Fire area is now 100% complete. The Thielsen Fire area is the first of nine fire areas assigned to the Task Force from the 2020 wildfires to be completed. All of the other fire areas include ash and debris removal from burned properties and most are nearing completion.

For progress updates on fire areas in the state-led cleanup program, visit the debris and tree removal data dashboard. The interactive status map on the same page provides a visual of all work underway.