Published 5:30 am Friday, May 8, 2026 Public health depends on a pause on burning The US Forest Service and its partner agencies continue to expand on the prescribed burns under the program title “West Bend Pilot Project.” That project has recently resulted in multiple days of very hazardous air quality in and around Bend. The Forest Service told me recently that the underlaying planning for this project occurred back in 2014. Since that time the medical research identifying the adverse impact of wildfire smoke has advanced. The very latest report released on April 21 indicates a significant correlation between several cancers and exposure to moderate levels of wildfire smoke. Our community deserves to know much more about the public health risks associated with these prescribed burns so close to our community. The Forest Service and its partner agencies must include unbiased and unaffiliated medical experts with relevant wildfire smoke research experience to evaluate all future planned burns.…