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Public may see hand piles burning over next 2 weeks near Plain, Lake Wenatchee

The burning of hand piles on 640 acres in the Plain and Lake Wenatchee area began Oct. 27.

The hand 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.

The piles will be burned over the next two weeks. Pile burning generally produces much less smoke than a large wildfire. The burns are being planned and monitored by the U.S. Forest Service and the Washington State Department of Natural Resources.

The project, now in its second year, is about 20 percent, or 1,000 acres, complete and on schedule, said 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,” McKay said. “The treatment isn’t done until the piles are burned.”

Chelan County Natural Resources began forest health restoration treatments in spring 2024 in the vicinity of Plain and Lake Wenatchee. Restoration treatments are designed to improve stand health and restore fire to the landscape to reduce the risks of and effects from catastrophic wildfires. Work will include commercial and non-commercial tree thinning, prescribed fire, road construction and road decommissioning. Implementation will occur in phases through 2030. 

 

Last Updated: 10/27/2025 12:54 PM

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