Permits are available at all Umatilla National Forest Offices. Buffer Zones Protect Fish Habitat in Firewood Areas Streamside buffer zones will remain in effect for firewood cutting and gathering. A buffer zone is the distance from the stream to the area where firewood activity can occur. Buffer zones range from 150-300 feet and protect sensitive and fragile vegetation living within streamside ecosystems. Grasses, plants, trees, dead wood, and other forms of vegetation are important to the survival of streamside ecosystems.
Vegetation gives shade providing cool waters for fish habitat.
It provides soil stability and prevents erosion. It also acts as a sediment trap to prevent silt from entering the stream when spring runoff can erode the hillsides and cut banks. Trapped sediment covers the gravel that fish use for spawning. Streamside buffers perform an important role in maintaining water quality and fish habitat in our forest's streams. Water flowing over, around, and under logs scours pools for fish to live in.