Deschutes National Forest Plans Fall Pile Burning Season

Deschutes National Forest

Forest Service News Release

Contact Title: Jaimie Olle
(541) 640-3192
jaimie.olle@usda.gov
fs.usda.gov/r06/deschutes

Deschutes National Forest Continues Pile Burning Season

Ignitions today include 29 acres directly adjacent to Wickiup Estates and 10 Miles Northwest of Bend

Central Oregon, November 5, 2025 — Deschutes National Forest firefighters are continuing pile burning operations across the Deschutes National Forest.

The Bend-Fort Rock Ranger District will conduct pile burning operations 10 miles northwest of Bend & ~5 miles north of Tumalo Falls. Ignitions are planned on up to 246 acres. Ignitions may continue in this area throughout the week if conditions are favorable.

Residents along Skyliners Road & in Bend are encouraged to keep doors & windows closed to minimize smoke impacts. Smoke impacts are most likely overnight & in the early morning.

The Crescent Ranger District is planning to conduct up to 229 acres of pile burning including 8 miles southeast of La Pine with 29 acres directly adjacent to the Wickiup Estates subdivision and other units within a quarter mile to the northwest, east and south. 17 acres are planned 12 miles south of Crescent and just south of the Highway 97 and 58 junction. One acre is planned on the north side of Highway 58 in the Odell Lake area. Smoke may be visible from Highways 58 and 97 and Wickiup Reservoir.

Residents in Wickiup Estates and La Pine are encouraged to keep doors & windows closed to minimize smoke impacts. Smoke impacts are most likely overnight & in the early morning.

Firefighters implement pile burning to reduce vegetation generated from active forest management such as timber sales and pre-commercial thinning treatments. The piles are concentrations of leftover materials associated with vegetation management activities being done to help maintain and restore forest and ecosystem health while reducing hazardous fuels loading.

Piles may smolder, burn, and produce smoke for several days after ignition. Once ignited, firefighters monitor piles until they declare the piles out. Please do not report ignitions. While smoke may linger in the area, removing these large accumulations of woody debris during the winter months minimizes fire danger.

Pile burning operations are carefully planned and implemented under specific conditions. 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 burn officials take significant preventive measures, it’s likely that communities may experience some smoke during or immediately after ignitions. Most smoke impacts occur during the night and early morning hours.

For more information on pile burning and smoke preparedness in Central Oregon, visit centraloregonfire.org/ and for information specific to the Deschutes National Forest visit fs.usda.gov/deschutes. Text “COFIRE” to 888-777 to receive prescribed burn text alerts. Follow along on X @CentralORFire.

About the Forest Service: The USDA Forest Service has for more than 100 years brought people and communities together to answer the call of conservation. Grounded in world-class science and technology– and rooted in communities–the Forest Service connects people to nature and to each other. The Forest Service cares for shared natural resources in ways that promote lasting economic, ecological, and social vitality. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, maintains the largest wildland fire and forestry research organizations in the world. The Forest Service also has either a direct or indirect role in stewardship of about 900 million forested acres within the U.S., of which over 130 million acres are urban forests where most Americans live.