PORTLAND, Ore. — The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Wildland Fire Service (USWFS) announced this week the launch of their fall and winter prescribed burn season across Oregon and Washington. Operations will begin as weather, fuel conditions, and air quality become favorable, and are expected to continue through the fall and winter months.

Why Prescribed Fire Matters

Prescribed fire — the controlled, planned application of fire to a defined area — is widely recognized as one of the most cost-effective tools available for reducing wildfire risk and restoring native ecosystems. By burning away accumulated dead fuels, agencies can lower the intensity of future wildfires, protect communities in the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI), and promote the growth of fire-adapted plant species.

"Prescribed fire is one of our most effective tools for reducing wildfire risk and improving habitat," said Josh O'Connor, Northwest Geographic Area Fire Chief for the U.S. Wildland Fire Service. "By carefully planning and executing these burns, we're helping protect communities and strengthen the health of our public lands."

Techniques and Targets

The fall 2026 program will employ a range of burn techniques, including:

  • Broadcast burning: Fire applied across an entire treatment unit to consume surface fuels and understory vegetation
  • Hand pile ignitions: Pre-constructed piles of slash and debris burned in place
  • Machine pile ignitions: Mechanically piled material from thinning operations ignited under favorable conditions

Priority treatment areas focus on the Wildland-Urban Interface, where fire-adapted communities need maximum protection, and on areas with significant accumulated fuels from decades of fire suppression and recent thinning operations. Eastern Oregon and Washington — which host significant BLM and national forest lands — will see the bulk of the activity.

What Residents Should Know

With prescribed burning comes temporary smoke impacts, and the BLM and USWFS want the public to be prepared:

  • Smoke from prescribed burns may settle in low-lying areas and valleys overnight
  • Residents near burn areas are encouraged to close windows at night to limit smoke exposure
  • Drivers should slow down and turn on headlights when traveling through smoky areas
  • People with heart or lung disease, asthma, or other chronic conditions should monitor local air quality at airnow.gov and consult their physician about protective measures

All burns are conducted only when weather, fuel moisture, and air quality parameters fall within carefully defined prescription windows. Firefighters utilize natural terrain features and constructed control lines to keep burns contained, with protocols designed to minimize smoke impacts on nearby communities.

Finding Burn Information

The public can find information about upcoming and active prescribed burns through the BLM's Oregon-Washington prescribed fire information page at blm.gov. Local BLM district offices and U.S. Forest Service ranger districts also post burn notifications on their websites and social media channels.

After a brutal summer suppression season, fire managers emphasize that this fall's prescribed burning is a critical investment in reducing next year's wildfire risk. Every acre treated with prescribed fire is one less potential acre of uncontrolled wildfire next summer.