Fire danger rises to high on Northeast Oregon lands
High fire restrictions tightened across 2 million acres in Union County and neighboring counties, just as July Fourth fireworks sales opened.
The Oregon Department of Forestry moved the lands it protects in Northeast Oregon to High Fire Restrictions on June 19, tightening rules across roughly 2 million acres that include Union County. The change reached private, state, county, municipal and tribal lands in Union, Baker, Wallowa and Umatilla counties, along with small portions of Malheur, Morrow and Grant counties.
For Union County residents, ranchers, loggers and recreation users, the shift changes how work and travel on ODF-protected ground has to be planned. Open fires are prohibited except at designated locations, debris burning is by permit only during fire season, and spark-producing activities such as chainsaw use, cutting or welding metal and mowing dry grass can face limits during the hottest hours of the day. ODF also says its public fire restrictions and industrial fire restrictions vary by location and are posted through interactive maps.
District Forester Justin Lauer said forecasts pointed to typical summer weather and elevated temperatures in the coming weeks. ODF had already declared fire season in the Northeast Oregon District effective 12:01 a.m. June 8, citing continued dry conditions, increasing temperatures and rising fire danger. The faster move from fire season into High Fire Restrictions reflected how quickly fine fuels were curing across the district.
The stakes are especially high in a county where a small ignition can escape fast on windy, dry days. ODF says more than 70% of Oregon wildfires are human-caused, and the agency reported that people directly sparked 740 wildfires that burned more than 20,000 acres during the 2025 fire season. That makes the practical ask in Union County straightforward: avoid debris burning, keep equipment from throwing sparks, and check the land-specific rules before heading into the field, forest or grassland.
The timing also overlapped with the state’s retail fireworks sales window, which ran from June 23 through July 6. With July Fourth approaching, ODF’s message was aimed squarely at preventing a human-caused fire before it starts, not after smoke is already moving across Northeast Oregon.
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