Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area fire managers are planning to conduct pile burning on National Forest System lands on the Washington side near the Upper Major Creek and Drano Lake areas and St. Cloud and Collins Slide, plus the Seven Mile area on the east Oregon side of the Gorge.  The piles are comprised of woody and vegetative material from thinning and vegetation management activities over the last few years, which remove flammable natural fuels from the landscape to prevent them from carrying and intensifying wildfire.  The actual day of ignition for the pile burning projects will depend on factors such as humidity, wind speed and direction, temperature and moisture levels of understory vegetation.  Scenic Area officials say burns only occur on days when smoke management offices indicate suitable weather conditions for smoke dispersal are present.  The target timeframe is Tuesday through February 28, 2025.  Piles may smolder, burn, and produce smoke for several days after ignition.  Updates on the pile burns will be distributed on the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area Facebook page.