Welcome to Malheur National Forest
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The 1.7 million acre Malheur National Forest is located in the Blue Mountains of Eastern Oregon. The diverse and beautiful scenery of the forest includes high desert grasslands, sage and juniper, pine, fir and other tree species, and the hidden gems of alpine lakes and meadows. Elevations vary from about 4000 feet (1200 meters) to the 9038 foot (2754 meters) top of Strawberry Mountain. The Strawberry Mountain Range extends east to west through the center of the forest.
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 Malheur National Forest fire officials are monitoring conditions on the Forest and preparing to implement the fall prescribed fire program. Prescribed fires, also known as controlled burns, refer to the planned and controlled use of fire by a team of highly skilled fire managers under specific conditions. During the fall months, the Forest has a number of planning units, ranging in size from 150 acres up to 4000 acres, scheduled for prescribed fire operations.
Prescribed fires are conducted within specific parameters including temperature, relative humidity, fuel moisture, and wind speed. Implementation is dependent upon these and other necessary conditions. Should conditions allow, crews may start operations on some smaller units as early as Friday, September 14, 2018.
Fall burning will build upon efforts in the spring and early summer of 2018 when the Forest safely and successfully accomplished prescribed fire operations on approximately 4,500 acres. Spring operations reduced surface fuels, increased height of some canopy, reduced small tree densities, and helped promote fire resilient trees, thereby improving our ability to protect communities from wildfire. Additionally, these prescribed fires improve wildlife habitat, promote long-term ecosystem integrity and sustainability by reducing the risk of high-severity wildland fire.
Prescribed fire is an important component of natural resource management and part of the comprehensive fire management program on the Malheur National Forest. Each of these prescribed burn operations represents many weeks of planning and preparation. Prescribed burns are designed to both reduce the risk of larger and/or catastrophic wildfires as well to restore overall health of the National Forest System lands. Fire is an essential, natural process, having shaped the landscape for thousands of years, releasing, and recycling nutrients from vegetation, duff, and soil layers, improving the overall health of plants and animals.
Science over the last several decades has shed a great deal of light on the essential role that these low-intensity fires play in a fire-dependent forest like the Malheur National Forest. Prescribed fire, when used strategically and repeatedly across larger areas, helps sustain healthy forest ecosystems, reduces the risk of out-of-control fires, reduces the severity of future wildfires when they do occur, and keeps our communities and firefighters safer.
For further details, please visit https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5139/
Economic Activity From The Malheur 10-Year Stewardship Contract: 2015–2017
 In September of 2013, the US Forest Service awarded a 10-year stewardship contract for restoration work on Malheur National Forest. The contract’s goals were to promote ecological restoration, reduced wildfire risk, and economic vitality in Grant and Harney counties. The duration of this contract was expected to provide greater certainty and consistency in the offering of restoration work and timber volume. The Forest Service used anticipated local economic benefit as a criterion in selecting the contract awardee. The contract was developed through partnership with two local forest collaborative groups, the Blue Mountains Forest Partners and Harney County Restoration Collaborative. This fact sheet analyzes some of the economic activity in Grant and Harney counties associated with work under the contract in years 2015 through 2017.
Draft Baseline Open Transportation Maps
 In early 2019, the Malheur National Forest will be starting the travel management planning process. The maps posted below are not official Motor Vehicle Use Maps (MVUM). They are “DRAFT Baseline OPEN Transportation Maps”, representing only the Forest Service roads that are shown as open to motorized use in the Malheur National Forest Database. The public is encouraged to become familiar with the maps and utilize them to field verify if they represent routes currently used.
Allowable use of roads by ATVs on Malheur National Forest
- Currently there are a total of 5488 miles of open roads on the Forest of which, 5029 miles are open to ATV use. Map Link
- For safety reasons, roads are closed to ATV use if they meet the following criteria.
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