Wallowa-Whitman National Forest Begins Pile Burning

JOESEPH, ENTERPRISE, LA GRANDE, and BAKER CITY, Ore, (October 20, 2025)— The Wallowa-Whitman National Forest is planning pile burning operations pending all required approvals. Operations are planned in all districts on the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest and will continue through the remainder of 2025 as weather conditions allow.

Pile burning is a type of prescribed fire where firefighters pile and burn forest debris to reduce an area’s wildfire risk. Prescribed fires help reduce overgrown vegetation to help protect local communities, infrastructure and natural resources from wildfires.
 
The debris piles were generated during forest management and fuel reduction projects that involve thinning and cutting of trees and other maintenance operations on the Forest. 

Smoke may be visible at times from nearby communities while burning is in progress. Go to https://fire.airnow.gov/ for more detailed information about air quality.

We will evaluate weather conditions in the hours before a burn begins. If conditions warrant, scheduled burn activities may be canceled. If burn operations occur crews will monitor the fires until they are extinguished.

We will notify county emergency management officials when burning begins.

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.