If conditions are favorable on Wednesday, firefighters on the Deschutes National Forest plan to conduct prescribed burning operations south of Sisters and northeast of La Pine.
The Bend-Fort Rock Ranger District plans to ignite up to 310 acres on the Odin North Prescribed Burn Units 3 and 7 four miles northeast of La Pine, south of Paulina Lake Road and east of Newberry Estates. Ignitions are planned for Wednesday and will continue Thursday if conditions remain favorable. No road or trail closures are anticipated.
Ignitions are slated to begin at 10 a.m. Smoke will be visible from Highway 97, La Pine and Sunriver. Residents in Newberry Estates and La Pine are encouraged to keep doors and windows closed to minimize smoke impacts. Smoke impacts are most likely overnight and in the early morning hours.
On Wednesday, the Sisters Ranger District plans to conduct 30 acres of prescribed burning on the SAFR Unit 34 Prescribed Burn three miles south of Sisters and east of Forest Service Road 16 near the PRT – Whychus Horse Ford Tie Trail. While no road or trail closures are anticipated, the public is asked to avoid recreating in the vicinity of the prescribed burn.
Ignitions are planned for 9 a.m. Residents in Sisters and the surrounding area are encouraged to keep doors and windows closed to minimize smoke impacts. Smoke impacts are most likely overnight and in the early morning hours.
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.
Fire management officials work with Oregon Department of Forestry smoke specialists to plan prescribed burns. Prescribed burns are conducted when weather is most likely to move smoke up and away from our 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.
What does this mean for you?
During prescribed burns, smoke may settle in low-lying areas overnight and in the early morning hours.
- All residents are encouraged to close doors and windows at night to avoid smoke impacts.
- If available, use a portable air cleaner. Air cleaners work best running with doors and windows closed. You can also create a DIY air cleaner.
- If you have a central air system, use it to filter air. Use high-efficiency filters if possible.
- When driving in smoky areas, drivers should slow down, turn on headlights and turn air to recirculating.
- If you have heart or lung disease, asthma, or other chronic conditions, pay attention to how you feel and if symptoms of heart or lung disease worsen, consider contacting your health care professional.
- Go to centraloregonfire.org to learn more about smoke safety and prescribed burning in Central Oregon and visit When Smoke is in the Air for more smoke preparedness resources.
For more information on prescribed burning in Central Oregon, visit centraloregonfire.org/ and for information specific to the Deschutes National Forest visit fs.usda.gov/r06/deschutes. Follow us on X/Twitter @CentralORFire. Text “COFIRE” to 888-777 to receive wildfire and prescribed fire text alerts.
