Tis the season 🔥
Text COFIRE to 888-777 to get all the details on upcoming prescribed fires plans, ignitions, locations and more + local wildfire info.
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Tree rings are a window into tree health 🔎
🌲This cross section of a tree stump in the Deschutes National Forest right off the Ticket to Ride South trail shows us what historic norms looked like for tree growth vs what it looks like when the forest is overstocked.
🌲The rings in the center show large annual growth at a time when the forest had the historically normal number of trees.
🌲The rings on the outside show very little annual growth from too many trees competing for resources (sunlight, water, etc). This is a result of forest mismanagement which allowed our forest to have 2-3x as many trees per acre as is historically normal, no wonder the trees were suffering!
🌲 Through strategic tree thinning, we can remove excess trees which allows remaining trees to thrive and remain healthy throughout their life! Dramatically reduces wildfire risk too 😉
Questions? Shoot us a message!
#dendrochronology #treerings #deschutesnationalforest #restoration
In 2021, the Bootleg wildfire burned its way across south-central Oregon through the Fremont-Winema National Forest including 12,000 acres of The Nature Conservancy’s Sycan Marsh Preserve. Having received different levels of restoration (thinning and prescribed burns) in the years prior to the massive wildfire, this gave scientists an amazingly insightful view to how forests react to catastrophic wildfire with and without treatment. Read the whole write up, link in our bio 🔗🌲🔥
***While the Sycan Marsh Preserve is in a different national forest, the lessons learned from the Bootleg Fire can provide insights into how fire might be impacted by forest treatments on the Deschutes National Forest as they do share the same forest types and historical fire regimes as well as similar soils and climatic conditions.***
#restoration #forest #deschutesnationalforest #workingtogether #outside #inbend #mtbbend #hikebend #bendoregon #oregon #healthyforests #firescience #fireresistant #deschutes #collaboration #timber
☑️ Resilient forest - our dry ponderosa and mixed conifer forests NEED low intensity fire to "clean up" hazardous fuel loads and historical had naturally occuring (lightening or sometimes Indigenous burning) low intensity fire every 10-25 years.
☑️ Protect communities - Prescribed fire can help create fire breaks on the forest, reduce intensity of wildfires and ultimately lower wildfire risk to our communities.
☑️ Protect wildfire response teams - lower intensity fires are safer and easier for firefighters to fight!
☑️ Supporting the work even if it means a few smokey days, the forest service works closely with Deschutes County Public health to limit smoke impacts while still getting the important work done. Preparation and planning goes a long way in limiting your exposure to smoke. Check out their website for more info!
The Pine Mountain Prescribed Burn on the Bend-Fort Rock Ranger District of the Deschutes National Forest was declared a wildfire at approximately 4 p.m. on Thursday, May 7, 2026.
Although forecasted weather conditions were within parameters for the prescribed burn, multiple spot fires occurred OUTSIDE of the unit boundary.
As of this morning, the Pine Mountain Fire experienced minimal growth overnight. Firefighters worked through the night constructing line to minimize fire spread. As of 8 a.m., May 8, 2026, fire is estimated at 2,483 acres and is 15% contained.
The DCFP maintains our stance that prescribed fire is extremely important to restoring forest health.
For current information visit centraloregonfire.org or follow on X at /CentralORFire.
Checking in from the Sisters Prescribes fire today! So much great science and data driven work happening out here to protect our communities from megafires and restore our forest to healthy historic norms.
Quick facts from Jaimie:
🔥 Prescribed fire doesn't happen without the perfect conditions, specialists are constantly monitoring wind, humidity, temperature and fire activity to make sure we get the work done with as little smoke impact as possible.
🔥 Prescribed fire is highly managed and very rarely gets out of control with 60 specialists on hand for this 244 acre burn.
🔥 Some smoke happens! The smoke is typically the worst between 12a-5a and will disperse as temps increase. Thanks for hanging in there and planning accordingly 🤙
🔥 Sign up for text alerts to learn when and where prescribed fire is happening: text COFIRE to 888-777
“There is overwhelming evidence that reducing tree density and returning low severity fire to dry mixed conifer forests reduces the severity of subsequent wildfires”- Kimberley Davis, Research Ecologist at the USDA Forest Service’s Rocky Mountain Research Station.
Read the whole article by 👇 and on our blog 🔗 in our bio.
/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/sycu5_2024_06_burning_questions.pdf
FEATURED SCIENTISTS:
Kimberley T. Davis is a Research Ecologist for the Rocky Mountain Research Station in the Fire, Fuel, and Smoke Science Program who zeroes in on the ways forest resilience and management are impacted by dynamic shifts in climate and fire regimes.
Jamie Peeler is a Landscape Ecologist and post-doctoral fellow at the University of Montana’s Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences Paleoecology and Fire Ecology Lab.
Joseph Fargione is the Science Director, North America for The Nature Conservancy.
Art work by @nature_org
🔥 Reminder that prescribed fire is the best tool we have in preventing catastrophic wildfire from destroying our towns, trails and favorite spots in the forest.
🚒 Prescribed fire is extremely well managed. Specialists on site are constantly monitoring and making sure there is as little smoke impact to town as possible.
🌲 Our dry ponderosa forest needs low intensity fire like prescribed fire to thrive! This helps "clean up" the forest floor of excess fuels (that feed wildfire!) and helps the whole forest ecosystem get back to historic norms.
💨 A little smoke now is worth it in the long run! Sign up for alerts and reminders: text COFIRE to 888-777 to get all the info, locations and more on all things prescribed fire this season.
#goodfire #rxfire #forestrestoration
The humidity, the wind, the forecast—when it all lines up, the crews head into the Deschutes National Forest and get to work.
What follows can look dramatic. But those bigger trees still standing? They now have less competition, more room to grow. These forests were shaped by fire for thousands of years. This crew is working to bring that back.
Full story at the 🔗 link in our bio
It's prescribed fire season! Our dry forest needs it 🔥
🔥 Prescribed fire is scientifically proven to help prevent catastrophic wildfire from starting and spreading. Our dry forest actually needs low intensity fire to "clean up" excess fuels and prevent mega fires.
🔥 It's been a big priority in Deschutes county in the last ten years to restore our forest (get all those extra trees that accumulated from years of mismanagement out of here!) and bring low intensity fire back to the landscape to not only protect the places we love but also improve habitat for both flora and fauna long term.
💨 Is the "worst" (100ish aqi according to our 75 Purple Air AQI Sensors across town in a 2024 study 😁) between 12a-5a when temps cool and will typically disperse by mid morning.
A couple hours of smoke here and there from prescribed fire is so much better than a mega fire destroying our beloved forest and towns! We'll take it 😜🔥
📱Text COFIRE to 888-777 to get text updates about all ignitions, timing, exact locations and more!
#workingtogether #wildfireprevention #forestrestoration #healthyforest
📣Central Oregon! 📣
Wildfire season is coming, are you prepared? Join us at one of our many Wildlife Preparedness Fairs across Central Oregon this spring!
🔥 Learn how to prepare by mitigating fire risk and having a plan through various hands on activities, tons of materials for you to take home and lots of great educational resources.
🚒 Specialists + Local and State officials will be on site to answer questions!
📆 Sisters, April 8 5-8p @ Sisters Elementary
📆 La Pine, April 11 3-5p @ La Pine HS
📆 Prineville, April 11 10a-12p @ Prineville Wilco Parking lot
📆 Sunriver April 16 12-2p @ SHARC
📆 Bend May 9 10a-1p @ COCC Wille Hall
📆 Madras May 20 5-7p @ Jefferson County Fire
We love this graphic from @nature_oregon 🌲🙏
A great reminder how strategic thinning and prescribed fire can help prevent catastrophic wildfire, save our forests and protect our towns, trails and firefighters!
Learn more about strategic restoration in Oregon 👇 and 🔗 in our bio.
/en-us/about-us/where-we-work/united-states/oregon/stories-in-oregon/climate-change-wildfire-recovery/
