431-acre prescribed burn planned on Taylor family property west of Bend, Shevlin Park Thursday and Friday

(Update: Details on Wyden amendment regarding prescribed burn agreement)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – Starting Thursday, the Deschutes National Forest plans to implement a prescribed burn on up to 431 acres of private property west of Bend and approximately a half mile west of Shevlin Park along NW Shevlin Park Road and Johnson Road corridor.

Ignitions are planned to begin Thursday and continue Friday depending on continued favorable conditions. Ignitions are slated to begin around 10 a.m. each day. Smoke will be visible from Bend and the surrounding areas.

Areas adjacent to the prescribed burn, including communities on the west side of Bend and Tumalo, particularly those near the Deschutes River and Tumalo Creek could experience smoke impacts overnight and in the early morning hours. Residents in these areas are encouraged to keep doors and windows closed to decrease smoke impacts. Once firefighters ignite prescribed burns, they monitor and patrol the units until they declare the burn out.

This cross-boundary prescribed burn is being conducted through a formal agreement under the "Wyden Amendment" with the Taylor family. Implementation of the prescribed burn will include support from federal, state and municipal firefighting resources.

Deschutes National Forest Public Affairs Officer Jaimie Olle provided this background on the Wyden Amendment:

"The Wyden Amendment authorizes the Forest Service to enter into cooperative agreements with willing participants for the protection, restoration, and enhancement of fish and wildlife habitat and other resources on non-National Forest Service lands and for the reduction of risk from natural disaster where public safety is threatened. All agreements citing this authority must provide a benefit to natural or cultural resources on national forests lands within the watershed.

"Agreements may be either: (a) directly with a willing landowner or (b) indirectly through an agreement with a state, local, or tribal government or other public entity, educational institution, or private nonprofit organization."

Olle added, "Operations implemented under the Wyden Amendment such as this one are a shared interest, and each party to the agreement is providing in-kind contributions to the effort under the elements of National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy and merits of the Wyden Authority."

Prescribed burning reintroduces and maintains fire within a fire-dependent ecosystem helping to stabilize and improve the resiliency of forest conditions while increasing public and firefighter safety. This prescribed burn builds upon previous hazardous fuels reduction work on adjacent federal, city and private property within the wildland-urban interface west of Bend.

This prescribed burn is occurring within the Central Oregon Landscape, one of 21 focal landscapes identified within the Forest Service’s Wildfire Crisis Strategy. The implementation of this prescribed burn supports the Deschutes National Forest’s commitment to addressing the Wildfire Crisis Strategy which aims to reduce severity of wildfires, protect communities, and improve the health and resiliency of fire-dependent forests.

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.

• All residents are encouraged to close windows at night to avoid smoke impacts
• 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, ask your doctor about how to protect yourself from smoke
• Go to centraloregonfire.org to learn more about smoke safety and prescribed burning in Central Oregon

For more information on prescribed burning in Central Oregon, visit centraloregonfire.org/ and for information specific to the Deschutes National Forest visit www.fs.usda.gov/deschutes. Follow on X/Twitter @CentralORFire. Text “COFIRE” to 888-777 to receive wildfire and prescribed fire text alerts.