Federal land management agencies kicked off their fall and winter prescribed burn season across Oregon and Washington on October 1, 2026, with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Wildland Fire Service announcing a broad campaign of planned ignitions to reduce hazardous fuel loads and restore forest and rangeland health.

A Critical Tool After a Devastating Season

"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."

The announcement comes in the wake of Oregon's 2026 wildfire season, which burned approximately 2.1 million acres — the largest total in state history — at a suppression cost exceeding $1.4 billion. Fire managers have long argued that prescribed fire is far less expensive and far less destructive than the unplanned wildfires that result when fuels accumulate unchecked.

Deschutes National Forest Burns Near Sunriver

One of the first significant operations under this season's campaign is planned on the Deschutes National Forest's Bend-Fort Rock Ranger District, with crews targeting up to 332 acres near Wanoga Butte — approximately six miles northwest of Sunriver and 16 miles southwest of Bend. The burn was scheduled for mid-October, pending favorable weather, fuel moisture, and air quality conditions.

The Deschutes National Forest has also conducted a separate prescribed burn near Crescent, Oregon, where crews treated up to 187 acres approximately seven miles southwest of the community. These operations focus on reducing accumulated ladder fuels, dead and downed material from prior thinning operations, and dense conifer reproduction that contributes to fire spread.

Techniques and Targets

Prescribed burn operations in Oregon and Washington use several techniques depending on site conditions and objectives:

  • Broadcast burning: Fire applied across an entire treatment unit to consume surface fuels
  • Hand pile ignitions: Pre-constructed piles of brush and slash are ignited by hand crews
  • Machine pile ignitions: Larger piles created by mechanical equipment, ignited when conditions allow

Priority locations include Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) zones where homes and communities sit adjacent to combustible forest lands, as well as areas where prior thinning or logging operations have left residual slash and debris that would otherwise fuel future wildfires.

Washington DNR Burns Also Underway

Washington's Department of Natural Resources (DNR) prescribed fire program is active this fall as well, with multiple burns scheduled or in progress across priority landscapes statewide. The DNR burn portal at burnportal.dnr.wa.gov provides a calendar of upcoming ignitions and allows residents to sign up for notifications when burns are planned near their communities.

What Nearby Residents Should Know

Smoke from prescribed burns is a temporary but real concern for communities near treatment areas. The BLM and USFS recommend the following precautions during nearby burn operations:

  • Smoke may settle in low-lying areas overnight; close windows after dark
  • When driving through smoky conditions, slow down and turn on headlights
  • People with heart or lung disease, asthma, or chronic conditions should consult their doctors and monitor local air quality maps
  • All burns are conducted only when weather, fuel, and air quality conditions fall within prescribed parameters

Information on specific upcoming and active burns in Oregon and Washington is available through the BLM's regional prescribed fire web page. For additional questions, contact the relevant BLM District Office or U.S. Wildland Fire Service Geographic Area office.