The Deschutes National Forest has opened up a comment period for the public to weigh in on a large-scale fuels reduction project that will treat 153,000 acres of public land in the Cascades.

The fuels maintenance and treatment project will occur in Deschutes, Jefferson, Klamath and Lake counties. The 30-day comment period will close on May 8. Comments submitted after the deadline will be considered but will not have standing for objection.

The project is designed to maintain areas that have undergone previous fuels treatment to mitigate the impacts of high-intensity wildfire, damaging insects and disease. The Forest Service has been conducting fuel reduction projects on the east side of the Cascades since 2000.

The proposal to treat 153,000 acres includes 91,000 acres in the wildland-urban interface. Treatments may include thinning, mowing, mulching and prescribed burns.

The treatments would occur only in areas previously treated between 2000 and 2020. In most areas, work would occur roughly 10 years after the previous hazardous fuels reduction work was completed, or when fuel conditions would lead to elevated fire risk.

The Forest Service’s preferred method to receive comments is through the Comment Analysis and Response Application, located on the Forest Service website. The draft environmental analysis can be viewed on the Deschutes National Forest website.