As the 2026 wildfire season winds down, land managers across the Pacific Northwest are turning from suppression to prevention — lighting intentional fires to reduce the very fuel loads that made this year’s season so devastating. Prescribed burns are now underway or pending in several national forests across Oregon and Idaho.

Deschutes National Forest — Central Oregon

The Deschutes National Forest has begun fall understory prescribed burning operations in the Sisters and Sunriver areas of Central Oregon. The targeted burn areas include:

  • One mile west of Sisters near Forest Service Roads 15 and 1510 junction
  • Three miles northwest of Sisters, west of Highway 20 south of Indian Ford Creek
  • Four miles southwest of Sisters, south of Forest Service Road 1513
  • One mile west of Sunriver near Forest Service Roads 40 and 45 in the vicinities of Anne’s Butte, Pistol Butte, and south of Wanoga Butte

Forest managers emphasize that the understory burns are specifically designed to reduce wildfire risk to nearby communities by removing accumulated dead vegetation, brush, and ladder fuels that allow ground fires to climb into the forest canopy. Smoke from the operations may be visible from Sisters, Sunriver, and surrounding communities on burn days. Residents are asked to plan accordingly.

Malheur National Forest — Eastern Oregon

The Malheur National Forest is planning prescribed fire operations beginning as early as September 27, 2026, pending all required approvals. Burns are planned across all three ranger districts of the forest, located in the Blue Mountains of eastern Oregon. Operations are expected to continue through fall as weather conditions allow.

The Malheur NF encompasses nearly 1.5 million acres of ponderosa pine, mixed conifer, and high desert terrain that has accumulated significant fuel loads over decades of fire suppression. Prescribed burning is a key tool in the forest’s restoration strategy.

Sawtooth National Forest — South-Central Idaho

In neighboring Idaho, the Sawtooth National Forest is planning prescribed burns this fall in multiple locations:

  • Fairfield Ranger District
  • Minidoka Ranger District
  • Ketchum Ranger District
  • Sawtooth National Recreation Area (SNRA)

The Sawtooth NF manages more than 2 million acres of mountainous terrain in central and southern Idaho. The fall prescribed burn program is designed to target areas identified as high fuel-load concern before winter snowpack limits access.

Why Fall Prescribed Burns Matter

After a season that saw over 2.5 million acres burn in Oregon alone — a state record — and Washington experiencing multiple fires of historic scale, the urgency of fuels reduction has never been more apparent. Prescribed fire is widely recognized by fire managers and ecologists as the most effective and cost-efficient tool for reducing catastrophic wildfire risk.

Fall windows are particularly valuable for prescribed burning in the Pacific Northwest because:

  • Relative humidity is higher, reducing the risk of prescribed fire escape
  • Cooler temperatures allow for more controllable burn conditions
  • Grasses and shrubs have senesced, making treatment more effective
  • Spring green-up and snowmelt provide a natural reset before the next fire season

Community members near prescribed burn areas should monitor local Forest Service announcements for smoke advisory notifications on active burn days. Current burn information is available on each forest’s website and through the Central Oregon Fire Information hub at centraloregonfire.org.