(Rockaway Beach, Ore., Nov. 12, 2026) — For the past two weeks, North Coast residents have been dealing with large amounts of smoke in the air. The smoke is interfering with daily life by affecting visibility and making people sick. The source of the smoke is fires set by timber operators to eliminate slash after an area has been clearcut. The burn season is not over. There are more slash burns still planned for the North Coast, including at Davis Ridge in Clatsop County and east of the Cedar Wetlands Nature Reserve in Rockaway Beach.
What is slash burning?
Slash burning is large-scale burning of forest debris and woody vegetation — brush, branches, and limbs — that is left behind after a timber harvest. The organic material is piled and ignited, typically with a mixture of gasoline and diesel. Many tons are burned throughout the state. This is a standard practice and it is legal. However, it raises serious concerns.
Is slash burning a health hazard?
Air quality monitors in Clatsop and Tillamook counties have registered spikes in the AQI (air quality index) of over 150. This places the air quality in the US EPA’s red zone: “Some members of the general public may experience health effects; members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects.”
Smoke from burning vegetation and organic materials contains toxic gases such as carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, other greenhouse gases, nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons, and particulate matter that is small enough to enter the lungs and affect the respiratory system. These pollutants are especially of concern for the very young, the elderly, and people with respiratory issues such as asthma and COPD.
Public Notification
Current notification to the public in advance of these air quality hazards is insufficient. We believe that people should be warned in a timely and accurate manner when air quality could be seriously compromised.
Unlike most air quality issues, slash smoke is regulated by the Oregon Department of Forestry, rather than by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. Operators must file a notification through FERNS but these notices are very broad. For instance, there was a single notice for burning on 640 acres in Tillamook County, with a two-month window.
ODF is currently in the process of revising its smoke-management rules.
Slash Burns and the Environment
Slash pile burning can release over 90 percent of the wood’s stored carbon content into the atmosphere almost immediately. This contributes to the global climate crisis.
Some of these burns are within 100 feet of fish-bearing streams and wetlands. We are concerned about contamination from burning debris, ash, and spilled accelerants entering the watershed. We believe that these practices are occurring too close to populations and drinking water sources.
Slash Burns and Wildfires
Runaway slash burns caused the Hug Point Complex fire in 2014 and multiple fires in Clatsop County in 2022. Burning close to a town or city increases these risks. There is a greater chance of evacuations, loss of structures, and serious damage to the entire community.
Slash burning is a type of “prescribed burning,” but it should be distinguished from controlled burns that mimic natural wildfires in a healthy forest. These burns are on land where the trees have already been removed.
Are slash burns necessary?
No. There are alternatives to slash burning. We are pushing back on the narrative that because this is business as usual, there is nothing to worry about. The world is getting hotter and dryer. In 2026, Oregon registered its worst wildfire season in recorded history. Why are we releasing even more carbon and smoke into the air?
Video taken in Rockaway Beach on Nov. 9, 2026, by Dick Martindale:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xwK4zHDFnbQx1Ev05doBVIbaBkddewVn/view?usp=sharing
(The Rockaway Beach slash burn, which continued into the night and early next morning was planned in advance, carried out by timber operators controlled by Nuveen, and was approved by the Oregon Department of Forestry.)
Sources:
AirNow Fire and Smoke Map
https://maps.wildlandfiresmoke.net/or-v4/#7.46/45.458/-123.192
Study conducted by Colorado State University and USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station: “The unaccounted costs of slash pile burning,”
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666719325003073
Nehalem Journal, Nov. 5, 2026: “Heavy Smoke From Timber Slash Burns Pushes Seaside Air Quality to 150 AQI, Reduces Roadway Visibility”
North Coast Communities for Watershed Protection wants no more logging, pesticide use, and slash burning in community water sources and an end to pesticide applications and slash burning near where people live, work, and recreate. Safe drinking water and clean air are part of the public trust that we all are entitled to have. rockawaycitizen.water@gmail.com | www.healthywatershed.org
