Fire restrictions in the Deschutes National Forest change through the season and control whether you can have a campfire, smoke outdoors, or run certain equipment on the roughly 1.6 million acres of Central Oregon national forest. The Forest Service uses a tiered system — Stage I, Stage II, and Stage III or full closure — that tightens as drought, temperature, and humidity worsen. Separately, a set of federal fire rules applies year-round no matter what stage is posted. Check the current stage before every trip, because conditions can jump from Stage I to Stage II within days.
Where to Check the Current Stage
The most reliable real-time source is the Central Oregon Fire Information site at centraloregonfire.org, which posts restriction changes for the Deschutes along with other Central Oregon public lands.1Central Oregon Fire Information. Fire Restrictions The official Forest Service status page is at fs.usda.gov/r06/deschutes/fire/info/public-use-fire-restrictions.2USDA Forest Service. Deschutes National Forest Public Use Fire Restrictions Do not rely on last week’s rules; conditions in Central Oregon’s semi-arid pine forests shift quickly during summer.
Stage I: Campfires Only at Designated Campgrounds
Stage I is the first level of elevated restrictions and usually takes effect in late spring or early summer. Under Stage I, open fires are banned across the forest, including wood-burning campfires, charcoal briquette fires, and biomass or twig-burning stoves. The only exception is a specific list of designated campgrounds where campfires remain permitted in the provided fire rings.3Central Oregon Fire Information. Central Oregon Public Lands Enter Stage 1 Public Use Fire Restrictions on May 18
If your campground is not on that posted list, campfires are off limits. The list can change from year to year, so read the current version before you go.4USDA Forest Service. Deschutes National Forest Stage 1 Fire Restrictions Wilderness areas within the Deschutes — including Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Washington, Three Sisters, Diamond Peak, and Mt. Thielsen — generally have no designated campgrounds, so all open fires are prohibited there once Stage I is in effect.5Central Oregon Fire Information. Deschutes Wilderness Areas Added to Stage 1 Public Use Fire Restrictions Starting July 18
Smoking is restricted too. Under Stage I you can smoke inside an enclosed vehicle or building, within a designated campground, or while stopped in a cleared area at least three feet across that is free of all flammable material. Smoking while walking a trail or sitting at an uncleared dispersed campsite is a violation.5Central Oregon Fire Information. Deschutes Wilderness Areas Added to Stage 1 Public Use Fire Restrictions Starting July 18
Stage II: No Campfires Anywhere
Stage II removes the designated-campground exception. All campfires, charcoal fires, and wood-burning stoves are prohibited across the entire forest, including developed campgrounds with metal fire rings. If your trip was built around an evening fire at an established site, a Stage II order takes that off the table. Smoking restrictions tighten as well, typically limiting smoking to inside enclosed vehicles or buildings. Because the Forest Service issues a specific order for each escalation and the exact terms can vary, read the posted order when Stage II is active.
Stage III and Forest Closures
Stage III is rare and represents an emergency response. When fire behavior becomes extreme and suppression is overwhelmed, the Forest Service can close specific sections or the entire Deschutes to public entry — no camping, no hiking, no driving forest roads. Being inside a closed area is itself a violation regardless of whether you had a fire.6eCFR. 36 CFR Part 261 – Prohibitions The authority for closures comes from 36 CFR 261.52(e), which allows forest officers to prohibit “entering or being in an area” when conditions warrant.7eCFR. 36 CFR 261.52 – Fire
What You Can Still Use
Even under Stage I and Stage II, you can use stoves, lanterns, and heaters that run on pressurized liquid fuel or propane gas, as long as the device has a functioning on/off switch that lets you kill the flame immediately.5Central Oregon Fire Information. Deschutes Wilderness Areas Added to Stage 1 Public Use Fire Restrictions Starting July 18 A backpacking stove with an isobutane canister, a propane camp stove, or a Coleman-style liquid fuel stove all qualify. Wood-burning camp stoves, twig stoves, and anything using charcoal do not, even with a lid.
If you are in a designated campground during Stage I where campfires are still allowed, standard federal fire safety rules still apply: keep the fire inside the provided ring, never leave it unattended, and have water or a shovel within reach to put it out completely.
Rules That Apply Year-Round
Some fire rules apply on the Deschutes at all times, outside fire season and regardless of the posted stage. These come from 36 CFR 261.5, and many visitors do not know about them.
- Possessing or using fireworks, exploding targets (including binary explosive rifle targets), or any pyrotechnic device is always illegal on national forest land.8eCFR. 36 CFR 261.5 – Fire
- Firing tracer bullets or incendiary ammunition is prohibited year-round.
- Every internal or external combustion engine operated in the forest must have a properly installed and maintained spark arresting device that meets USDA Forest Service standards.
- Leaving any fire without completely extinguishing it is always a violation.
- When campfires are allowed, you must clear flammable material around the fire enough to prevent it from escaping.
The fireworks and exploding-targets rule catches people off guard every summer. The federal regulation applies across National Forest System lands whether or not there is a sign.
Penalties
Violating a fire restriction order in the Deschutes is a federal offense. Each violation can bring a fine of up to $5,000 for an individual or $10,000 for an organization, plus up to six months in jail.6eCFR. 36 CFR Part 261 – Prohibitions Those penalties apply whether you had an illegal campfire, smoked in a restricted area, or entered a closed section of the forest.
Federal law adds another layer. Under 18 U.S.C. § 1856, anyone who starts a fire on federal land and lets it burn unattended, allows it to spread, or fails to completely extinguish it faces a separate federal fine and up to six months of imprisonment.9Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1856 – Fires Left Unattended and Unextinguished
Civil Liability for Suppression Costs
The criminal penalties are serious, but the civil exposure is where a violation becomes life-altering. When a prohibited activity starts a wildfire, the federal government routinely sues the responsible party to recover the full cost of suppression: firefighter crews, aircraft, equipment, and long-term ecosystem restoration. Those bills regularly run into the millions. A single individual whose illegal campfire or discarded cigarette is traced back to them can be held personally liable for the entire suppression cost. Law enforcement actively patrols the Deschutes during fire season, and fire-origin investigations are thorough.
A Note for Chainsaw and Firewood Permit Users
Commercial timber operations run under a separate system called Industrial Fire Precaution Levels, which govern spark-producing machinery and impose a one-hour fire watch after equipment shutdown starting at IFPL I. Higher levels restrict power saws, cable yarding, blasting, and welding to cooler hours, and IFPL IV shuts operations down entirely.10USDA Forest Service. Industrial Fire Precaution Levels If you hold a personal firewood permit and plan to run a chainsaw in the forest, you have to follow the current IFPL along with the public-use stage.