Deschutes National Forest Begins Fall Prescribed Burning

Deschutes National Forest firefighters plan to start fall understory prescribed burning season as early as next Tuesday if conditions are favorable. This fall, the Deschutes National Forest may accomplish up to an estimated 5,886 acres of prescribed burning, including up to an estimated 4,375 acres on the Bend-Fort Rock Ranger District, 1,230 acres on the Crescent Ranger District, and 281 acres on the Sisters Ranger District.

Prescribed burns may occur in the following general areas:

Bend – 13 miles southeast of Bend on the northern portions of Pine Mountain
Crescent – seven miles west of Crescent near the junction of Hwy 58 and Forest Service Road 5825; nine miles south of Crescent west of the Highway 58 and 97 junction within the Three Trails OHV System
La Pine – one mile southeast of La Pine south of Forest Service Road 22 near Finley Butte; 12 miles southeast of La Pine and south of Highway 31 in the vicinity of Forest Service Road 3115; 27 miles east of La Pine just east of Forest Service Road 22 in the Quartz Mountain area
Sisters – one mile west of Sisters near Forest Service Roads 15 and 1510 junction; three miles northwest of Sisters and west of Highway 20 south of Indian Ford Creek; four miles southwest of Sisters south of Forest Service Road 1513
Sunriver – one mile west of Sunriver near Forest Service Roads 40 and 45 in the vicinities of Anne’s Butte, Pistol Butte and south of Wanoga Butte

Firefighters implement understory prescribed burning to reduce wildfire risk to communities. Prescribed burning reintroduces and maintains fire within our fire-dependent ecosystem by removing concentrations of vegetation and restoring forest health while increasing public and firefighter safety. Once firefighters ignite prescribed burns, they monitor and patrol the units until they declare the burn out.

Prescribed burns, which are primarily conducted in spring and fall, are carefully planned and implemented under specific conditions of temperature, wind, humidity, and vegetation moisture. Firefighters work with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and Oregon Department of Forestry smoke forecasters to identify conditions that will minimize smoke impacts on people and communities. While prescribed fire managers take significant preventive measures, it’s likely that communities may experience some smoke during or immediately after a prescribed burn. Most smoke impacts occur during the night and early morning hours.

For more information on prescribed burning and smoke preparedness in Central Oregon, visit centraloregonfire.org and for general information specific to the Deschutes National Forest visit fs.usda.gov/deschutes. Visit centraloregonfire.org/prescribed-fire-smoke-plans to view an interactive map with planned burn locations. Text “COFIRE” to 888-777 to receive prescribed burn text alerts. Follow along on X @CentralORFire.

This story is based on submitted information and has not been verified by our news team.