Prescribed fire and smoke pilot continues in Chelan County this season, expands into western Okanogan County

WENATCHEE — Federal, state and tribal agencies are expanding a Central Washington pilot program that aims to increase prescribed burning on the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest while giving nearby communities more warning and protection from the smoke.

The pilot began last fall and spring in Chelan and Kittitas counties and will continue there this season, the U.S. Forest Service said in a Nov. 9 release. It will also expand into western Okanogan County and Yakima County. Agencies are working toward burns that cross ownership lines in fall 2026 and spring 2027.

The effort involves the Forest Service, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the state departments of Health, Natural Resources, Fish and Wildlife and Ecology, along with local health districts, including the Chelan-Douglas Health District and the Okanogan County Public Health District. Agencies are running it under an incident command structure to coordinate planning, outreach, air-quality monitoring and health protections.

"Prescribed fire is one of our most effective tools for reducing wildfire risk and improving forest health," said Jacque Buchanan, regional forester for the Forest Service's Pacific Northwest Region. "By using our best management practices, the burns produce fewer smoke impacts than wildfires and help make our landscapes more resilient."

Under the pilot, agencies plan to identify communities likely to be affected by burns, reach them early with health information and give advance notice before burning. They also plan to coordinate air-quality monitoring and forecasting to check how well smoke predictions hold up, and to share information on clean-air resources and N95 respirators, with extra outreach to people most vulnerable to smoke.

Burns are carried out only when temperature, wind, humidity and fuel moisture fall within set limits, according to a fact sheet from the state Department of Natural Resources.

Children, people with health conditions, pregnant people and adults over 65 are especially sensitive to smoke, the state Department of Health says. It advises people to check air quality at fire.airnow.gov, stay indoors with windows closed when it is smoky, filter indoor air and wear an N95 mask if they must be outside.

The pilot builds on a Pacific Northwest prescribed fire and smoke management partnership the agencies launched in 2024.

A map of planned burns is at experience.arcgis.com/experience/55ce8bfdea4345b6a06ae81d67e7d411, and the forest's fire information is at fs.usda.gov/r06/okanogan-wenatchee/fire/management. To get notices before prescribed burns, sign up for burn notifications at burnportal.dnr.wa.gov. Questions can go to smoke@dnr.wa.gov.