Willamette National Forest

For those interested in a unique, outdoor family outing, permits are available to harvest Christmas trees from Oregon’s national forests.

As Oregon’s wildfire season continues to wind down, several areas in the Willamette National Forest have reopened to the public.

Tuesday morning transportation officials announced the closure of Highway 126 between mileposts 13 and 19.5. Highway 242, the Old McKenzie Highway is also closed to all traffic.

Fire officials say the milder weather has helped, but heavy forest fuels are still a concern.

Although crews have made progress containing some of the wildfires burning on the Willamette National Forest, officials say increased fire activity is possible.

Fire crews are already spread thin across dozens of large Oregon wildfires. Officials say conditions will likely get worse before they get better.

Wildfires continue to burn in Western Oregon despite a slightly cooler weather and a light overnight rain.

About 125 fires are burning across the state and the largest fire in the country is in eastern Oregon. All these fires are putting a strain on crews and resources.

Permits aimed at crowd control affect Deschutes and Willamette National Forests.

A team of forestry experts has just finished assessing the areas burned by the Lookout, Horsecreek, and Pothole fires.

Travelers on Highway 126 in the McKenzie River corridor may experience some delays this week as fire crews are doing some tree removal related to the Lookout Fire near McKenzie Bridge.