Residents across Central Oregon should expect periodic smoke through the coming winter months as the Deschutes National Forest has launched its annual pile burning season. Operations began last week and are expected to continue intermittently through January 2027, depending on weather conditions.

The Forest Service announced on October 28 that cooler temperatures and increased moisture had created the conditions needed to begin burns that were held off all summer due to high fire danger. More than 11,500 acres of slash piles — debris left from timber harvests, forest thinning projects, and post-fire salvage operations — are targeted for burning this fall and winter season across the Deschutes National Forest.

Where the Burns Are Happening

Initial pile burning operations last week focused on the Flattop Fire pile areas, located approximately 25 miles southeast of La Pine. Additional burn locations are expected to be activated throughout the season as weather windows allow. The Deschutes National Forest borders Jefferson County to the southwest, and smoke can drift into the Madras area depending on wind direction and atmospheric conditions.

Forest Service managers say operations are strictly weather-dependent and will only proceed on days when smoke dispersal conditions are favorable to minimize impacts on nearby communities and sensitive receptor areas.

Why It Matters

Pile burning is one of the primary tools forest managers use to reduce the wildfire risk that accumulates in Central Oregon's ponderosa pine forests over time. The region's dry conditions each summer make it difficult or impossible to safely conduct controlled burns, so the Forest Service takes advantage of fall and winter moisture to work through the backlog of material that would otherwise become fuel for future wildfires.

Fire managers note that the controlled burns conducted this fall and winter directly reduce the chance of high-severity wildfire in those same areas during future dry seasons — a tradeoff that residents in fire-adjacent communities understand well after recent fire seasons.

Health Advisory

People with respiratory conditions, asthma, heart disease, or other health vulnerabilities are advised to monitor air quality on active burn days. Smoke from pile burns can concentrate in valleys and low-lying areas, particularly in the morning hours before afternoon winds help disperse it.

  • Central Oregon Fire Information: centraloregonfire.org — posts daily burn notices and active locations
  • Oregon DEQ Air Quality Index: oregon.gov/deq
  • AirNow national air quality map: airnow.gov

No burn restrictions are currently in effect in Jefferson County for private outdoor burning. Residents planning to burn debris on their own property should check current Oregon Department of Forestry guidelines and their local fire district before lighting any outdoor fire.