Our Work

Our Work

Restoring Our Forests

The DCFP is dedicated to restoring our forests, making them more resilient to fire, insects and disease, and even climate change. At the same time, we are creating better wildlife habitat, space for trees to grow and thrive, and safer and healthier communities.
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A Forest that Needs Fire

Fire were historically a healthy and regular occurrence in Central Oregon forests. Our trees, plants and wildlife are all adapted to forests that received regular fire. A century of fire suppression has resulted in overly dense forests, and thus very hot and devastating fires.
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The West Bend Project

Some of the most beloved places in the Deschutes National Forest are restoration priorities. Our goals for the West Bend Project: restore forest ecosystems, reduce the potential of high-severity wildfire, and provide socioeconomic benefits to local communities.
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2015-CFLRP-Overview-MapRestoring Balance in our Forests

Since 2010, we’ve been working as partners alongside the Deschutes National Forest on a $10.1 million effort to restore 250,000+ acres of forest in Deschutes County, focusing on the unhealthiest places that are putting our forests and communities at risk, including the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) areas west of Bend, Sisters, Tumalo and Sunriver.

Before and after restoration efforts at the SAFR project outside Sisters.

Recent News

  • Prescribed Burning for a Healthier Forest and Safer Community
    Prescribed Burning for a Healthier Forest and Safer Community

    Prescribed Burning for a Healthier Forest and Safer Community We share our community's concerns regarding health, visibility, and livability related to smoke produced by prescribed fires. And we know that prescribed burns are a critical step in forest restoration. Research…

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  • Fuels Reduction Slows Milli Fire
    Fuels Reduction Slows Milli Fire

    Thinning, Mowing and Prescribed Fire completed earlier this year has helped firefighters battle the Milli Fire outside of Sisters. Deschutes Collaborative Forest Project members Ed Keith and Nicole Strong recently visited an area of the Milli Fire where restoration had…

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  • Why Prescribed Fire Matters
    Why Prescribed Fire Matters

    Why Prescribed Fire Matters: Healthier forests. Safer communities Contributed by Pete Caligiuri – Forest Ecologist, The Nature Conservancy, Bob Madden – Deputy Chief of Fire Operations, Bend Fire, and Deana Wall – Fuels Program Manager, Deschutes National Forest Hey Central…

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  • Trail Closure Updates for Phils Trail area
    Trail Closure Updates for Phils Trail area

    Restoration Work in West Bend near Phil's Trail Area Popular mountain biking trails will now be open during the week You may have noticed some activity in the forests west of Bend. Restoration work (thinning, mowing, and prescribed burning) near…

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  • Deschutes Forest Winter Activity
    Deschutes Forest Winter Activity

    Deschutes Forest Winter Restoration Activity Forest restoration activity has been a bit quiet this winter but with snow beginning to melt and roads clearing, crews will be returning to their restoration work in the Deschutes National Forest soon! Be on…

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  • My Deschutes Forest
    My Deschutes Forest

    My Deschutes Forest Contributed by long time Bend resident, avid mountain biker and previous owner of Cog Wild, Melanie Fisher. A few years ago, I was invited to a meeting on Storm King Trail to discuss the West Bend thinning project.…

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