Prescribed Burns Underway Across Three Central WA Counties

The smell of wood smoke drifting over Wenatchee this spring isn't cause for alarm — it's a sign that forest managers are hard at work.

Decades of Fire Suppression Left Washington Forests Fuel-Heavy

READ MORE: Prescribed Burns Coming to Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest

Across more than 6,000 acres of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, crews are carefully setting fire to the land. It's a paradox that defines modern forest management: burning trees to save them.

"We use prescribed fires to help reduce overgrown vegetation," said forest officials, who began igniting piles of forest debris and underburn units as early as February — earlier than usual, thanks to a lighter snowpack at lower elevations. The work is urgent.

Decades of fire suppression have left Washington's forests thick with fuel. When a wildfire ignites in that kind of terrain, the results can be catastrophic.

A carefully managed prescribed burn, by contrast, strips away the undergrowth before the summer heat arrives, creating a buffer that protects communities, infrastructure, and the forest itself.

Where the Burns Are Happening Across Three Counties

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This spring's operations span three counties. In Chelan County alone, 3,847 acres are targeted for underburning — from the steep drainages above Entiat to the Mission Creek hillsides just four miles west of Wenatchee.

What Smoke-Sensitive Residents Should Know

Residents near Number 2 Canyon have already been told to expect some smoke. In Okanogan County, crews are working in the Libby Creek drainage west of Carlton, where smoke will drift toward Winthrop and Twisp.

Over in Kittitas County, 725 acres near Cle Elum are also on the burn schedule. For people sensitive to smoke, forest officials are urging preparation. Air quality can be monitored in real time at fire.airnow.gov, and the Washington State Department of Health has resources available for residents who need guidance.

Burns Still Subject to Weather Windows and Final Approvals

The burns, which consist mainly of underburning with some hand-pile units, are still subject to final approvals and weather windows. Conditions have to be just right — enough wind to carry smoke away from communities, but not so much that the fire escapes its lines. It's a narrow margin. But for the forests of central Washington, it may make all the difference come July.