In Oregon, summer has begun to be called something different: fire season. Fire season generally begins on June 1 and lasts until state officials declare that it has ended. Along with fire season comes some restrictions that should be adhered to, no matter what. In 2018 alone, the state saw damages from wildfires reaching $514.6 million, according to the Statesman Journal.

Those restrictions include no illegal fireworks or open fires like campfires, charcoal fires, and others. Any motorized vehicles are restricted to improved roads that are free from flammable vegetation and backyard debris burning is prohibited. For a full list of restrictions, visit the Oregon Department of Forestry.

One activity that can face possible restrictions during fire season is mowing. Here is some more information on whether or not it’s safe to mow your yard located in and around Gresham, Happy Valley, and Troutdale during Oregon’s fire season.

The Levels of Fire Danger and Their Mowing Restrictions

There are four levels of fire danger: green, blue, yellow, and red. Green means low fire danger, blue indicates moderate danger, yellow is high danger, and red is for extreme fire danger.

If we are experiencing low fire danger, then there are no restrictions on mowing. It can be done any time for green lawns, dry lawns, or dead grass. With moderate fire danger comes some rules on mowing dried, cured grass. During times of moderate danger, dried lawns can’t be mowed between the hours of 1:00 pm - 8:00 pm.

For high fire danger, those restricted hours increase to 10:00 am - 8:00 pm, and during extreme fire danger, mowing dried grass is completely prohibited. These restrictions do not apply to the harvesting of agricultural crops or the mowing of green grass.

We Practice Safe Mowing, Can Dispose of Yard Debris As Well

This yard debris is Happy Valley can be safely removed from this yard.

During fire season, it’s not legal to burn your yard debris as that can quickly get out of hand and out of control. At J&C Lawn Care, we can perform a yard cleanup to get extra debris out of the way. We haul off the debris and dispose of it safely, so you don’t have to worry about it. This also helps you prepare your property for potential fire dangers by removing branches and leaves that could be fuel for a wildfire.

We also practice safe mowing and will pay attention to fire restrictions. If fire restrictions change in our area of Oregon and your yard is dry, we may not be able to mow due to those restrictions. We will communicate with you whenever this happens. We will also make sure your green grass stays mowed to a healthy height.

According to KDRV, 90% of fires in Oregon are started by humans.

Be safe during fire season and prepare in advance by calling in the pros.

We can help you get your property ready for fire season by doing a yard cleanup and keeping your grass at a healthy height. Give us a call now at (971) 284-2035 to get on our schedule if you live in or around the areas of Gresham, Happy Valley, or Troutdale, OR. Also, remember to keep an eye on the news for any updates on our fire season and to see if the fire danger becomes elevated so that you can stay safe.