Since the early 90s, fire prevention specialists from the Oregon Department of Forestry and Willamette National Forest have come together as a team, not just to manage wildfires, but to prevent them before they start. This February and March, Smokey Bear, accompanied by supporting staff, will be making visits to more than 12 elementary schools along Oregon State Highway 126 and Oregon State Highway 58 to help students understand how wildfires start and how to prevent them. Human-caused fires still account for the vast majority of forest fires nationwide, and Oregon is no exception. Fire prevention technicians hope to bring that statistic down by going into classrooms and teaching students preventative practices, such as how to properly build and extinguish a campfire.