Forest restoration project begins pile burning in Plain, Lake Wenatchee

PLAIN —  Widespread pile burning is planned across 640 acres in the Plain and Lake Wenatchee area over the next two weeks.

The piles are accumulated forest debris created over the past year on the Upper Wenatchee Forest Health Project, which aims to reduce fuels and wildfire risk across some 5,000 acres over five years in the Plain and Lake Wenatchee area. It is a joint fire mitigation effort with the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and Chelan County to decrease long-term fire risk to the community, as well as restore forests to a state in which they are more resilient to natural fire.

The project is in its second year, and is about 20 percent complete. So far, the project has  treated approximately 1,000 acres, according to Erin McKay, Forest Health program manager for Chelan County Natural Resources.

“The burning of the hand piles is a big step for the project because it marks the completion of mitigation efforts we’ve undertaken this year,” said McKay. “The treatment isn’t done until the piles are burned.”

The U.S. Forest Service and the Washington State Department of Natural Resources will be planning and implementing the burns starting Oct. 27. The public can expect some amounts of smoke, but much less than the amount of smoke produced by large wildfires. 

Chelan County Natural Resources began forest health restoration treatments around Plain and Lake Wenatchee in spring 2024. Restoration treatment work includes commercial and non-commercial tree thinning, prescribed fire, road construction and road decommissioning. These efforts are designed to improve the stand health and restore fire’s role in the landscape, helping to reduce the risks and effects of catastrophic wildfires. Restoration treatment will be implemented in phases through 2030.