Rooster Rock Fire burns Skyline Forest

The Rooster Rock fire southeast of Sisters, Oregon started on August 3, 2010 and burned 6,134 acres. The fire burned part of Skyline Forest in the northernmost corner of Skyline Forest (see map below).

Skyline Forest is the 33,000 acre forest that stretches from Bend to Sisters that the Land Trust has been working to conserve since 2005. The Forest is currently owned by Fidelity National Financial. Landmark legislation in 2009 provides an opportunity for the landowner to do a limited development on a small corner of the forest in exchange for selling the balance of the forest at timber value to the Land Trust.

At this point it is unknown how much of Skyline Forest burned, but it appears to be around 4000 acres. The final extent of the fire will not be known until the landowner and fire officials can safely assess the situation.

While the Land Trust had to cancel several hikes planned for Skyline Forest this week, it is unclear how or if the fire will affect the landowner's plans. For the most current fire information, please visit Incident Web.

The estimated extent of the Rooster Rock fire. Map: Deb Quinlan, based on Bend Bulletin map.