This Saturday the Industrial Fire Precaution Level for the Deschutes and Ochoco Forests, Prineville BLM, and Crooked River Grassland move to a Level Four – which is a complete shutdown.  It prohibits all commercial and industrial operations that were previously permitted, to reduce the chance of wildfire. Wood cutting has already been prohibited because a single spark from a piece of equipment could ignite a fire.  This is an extreme move the forest service feels is warranted in response to the extreme potential we now have for wildfires in Central Oregon.  It will facilitate a comparison of current information from remote weather stations throughout the region to get an indication of the wildfire potential - assessing temperatures, precipitation, humidity, and fuel moisture … and will then compare current readings to historical ones, to see what conditions have caused wildfires in the past.