Firefighters on the Deschutes National Forest are planning prescribed burning on the Bend-Fort Rock and Sisters Ranger District on Tuesday if conditions remain favorable.
Firefighters on the Sisters Ranger District are planning to conduct ignitions on up to 366 acres on SAFR 139 & 140 Prescribed Burn units located three miles southwest of Sisters.
Ignitions are planned for 9:30 a.m. The public is asked to avoid trails in the area, including the Metolius-Windigo Trail. Recreationists are encouraged to use an alternate route south of Sisters Cow Camp. People driving along Forest Service Road 1513 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 Forest Service Roads 15 and 16.
Residents in Sisters and 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.
The Bend-Fort Rock Ranger District plans to conduct up to 200 acres of ignitions on the Flank 1 Prescribed Burn located 15 miles southeast of Bend on the west side of Forest Service Road (FSR) 18 just north of FSR 18 and FSR 25 junction and Camp II OHV Staging Area.
Ignitions are planned around 9:30 a.m. and will be visible from Highway 20 and portions of Bend. Trail closures are in place for the Opine OHV Trails System for Trail #020, #022, and #025. Closures will remain in place for multiple days 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.
