The controlled burning of piles of undergrowth in the Deschutes National Forest has started this week, west of Sun River and La Pine. They’ll be burning the piles mid-week - mostly on Wednesdays - for the next couple of weeks, but the smoke isn’t expected to permeate into residential areas. It’s intended to burn the undergrowth and remove that fuel from the forest floor to help reduce the intensity of any future wildfires.