Firefighters on the Deschutes National Forest are planning prescribed burning on the Bend-Fort Rock and Sisters Ranger District on Monday if conditions remain favorable.
Firefighters on the Sisters Ranger District are planning to conduct ignitions on up to 171 acres on SAFR 271 & 274 Prescribed Burn units located approximately one mile west of Sisters along the south side of Forest Service Road 15 across from the Crossroads subdivision. This prescribed burn will connect with prior burn units to create a strategic holding feature where firefighters can safely and effectively stop potential future wildfires.
Ignitions are planned for 9:30 a.m. While no road or trail closures are anticipated, the public is asked to avoid trails in the area. People driving along Forest Service Road 15 should slow down and use caution as firefighting personnel will be working along the roadway and there will be smoke impacts. There may also be smoke impacts to Edgington Road and other Forest Service roads in the area.
Smoke will be very visible from Sisters. Residents in the Crossroads subdivision, Tollgate subdivision, Sisters and surrounding areas are encouraged to keep doors and windows closed to minimize smoke impacts. There will likely be some short-term smoke impacts to Sisters and the general area. Smoke impacts are most likely overnight and in the early morning hours.
The Bend-Fort Rock Ranger District plans to conduct up to 145 acres of ignitions on the Thor 8 Prescribed Burn unit located six miles northeast of La Pine and adjacent to McKay Crossing Campground on the north side of Paulina Creek.
Ignitions are planned for 10:30 a.m. Residents in Newberry Estates, La Pine and the surrounding areas are encouraged to keep doors and windows closed to minimize smoke impacts. Smoke impacts are most likely overnight and in the early morning hours. Smoke will be visible from Highway 97, La Pine and Sunriver.
The Peter Skene Ogden Trail will be closed between Ogden Group Camp and 10 Mile SnoPark during operations and for up to a week following the prescribed burn while mop-up and patrol operations continue after the prescribed burn is complete. Firefighters will reopen trails once conditions have been assessed and are determined safe for the public.
Prescribed burns can protect homes from tragic wildfires. 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 centraloregonfire.org/protect-
your-health 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/deschutes. Follow us on X @CentralORFire. Text “COFIRE” to 888-777 to receive wildfire and prescribed fire text alerts.
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.
