The Washington State Department of Natural Resources launched its Prescribed Fire Program in the fall of 2021 with the goal of reintroducing a cost-effective tool with a high rate of success for forest restoration and wildfire risk reduction in the dry forests of central and eastern Washington. Prescribed fire is highlighted as a critical tool for completing objectives with the 20-Year Forest Health Strategic Plan: Eastern Washington.

 

Skilled professionals within the agency conduct prescribed fire operations on DNR-managed lands, assist partner agencies with prescribed burning on land they manage, and oversee a certification program for people who want to lead or participate in prescribed burns.

 

A prescribed fire for forest restoration occurs when low-severity fire is applied to the forest floor in order to reduce built-up vegetation while helping mature trees stay healthy and resilient. Trained fire professionals follow a burn plan guided by state and federal regulations that aims to reduce wildfire fuels on the ground, reintroduce vital nutrients into the soil, and restore natural, fire-adapted habitats for wildlife.

 

Safety is the number one priority of DNR’s official prescribed fire policy – if the conditions do not meet strict and uncompromising standards, we will not conduct burns on that day. 

 

Prescribed fire is a tool long used on dry-forest ecosystems in central and eastern Washington by Tribes, land management agencies and conservation groups. These types of forests, with their ponderosa pines and other fire-adapted plants, historically had low-intensity fires burn in the understory about once per decade. These less severe fires reduced the amount of ladder fuels capable of taking fires up into tree canopies, where they spread much more rapidly than at ground level. Reintroducing low-level fire to the landscape mimics those of the past.

 

 

Follow DNR's new Prescribed Fire Program Twitter account for up-to-date information on planned and active prescribed fire operations

 

Sign up for email burn alerts that will be sent out approximately one week prior to ignition of a prescribed fire*

 

*Burns may be postponed or canceled due to changes in weather or ground conditions.

 

Name	Season	Acres Treated	Location (Google Maps)	DNR Region	Phone Number
Sinlahekin Central Unit	Spring 2022	141	4 miles south of Loomis	Northeast	509-684-7474
Old Springdale	Spring 2022	106	2 miles east of Springdale	Northeast	509-684-7474
Camas Meadows	Fall 2022	10	12 miles west of Wenatchee	Southeast	509-925-8510
Boggs Pit	Spring 2023	237	7 miles north of Deer Park	Northeast	509-684-7474
Black Diamond - Aeneas I	Spring 2023	144	8 miles southeast of Tonasket	Northeast	509-684-7474
Sinlahekin North Unit	Spring 2023	58	3 miles south of Loomis	Northeast	509-684-7474
Airport I	Spring 2023	104	2 miles east of Glenwood	Southeast	509-925-8510
Cougar Canyon	Fall 2023	160	9 miles northwest of Naches	Southeast	509-925-8510
Knight	Fall 2023	279	1 mile south of Tumtum	Northeast	509-684-7474
Middle Fork	Fall 2023	35	7 miles east of Van Zandt	Northwest	360-856-3500
Black Diamond - Aeneas II	Spring 2024	12	8 miles southeast of Tonasket	Northeast	509-684-7474
Airport II	Spring 2024	450	3 miles east of Glenwood	Southeast	509-925-8510
Sinlahekin South Unit	Spring 2024	90	3 miles south of Loomis	Northeast	509-684-7474
Red Mountain	Fall 2024	81	1.5 miles north of Maple Falls	Northwest	360-856-3500
Cattle Point	Fall 2024	4	6 miles southeast of Friday Harbor	Northwest	360-856-3500

 

Additional information on completed prescribed burns can be found using the DNR Forest Health Tracker. Use the menu above the map to filter by project type, then select "prescribed fire treatment" to see only those projects on the map.

 

People in the area of an active prescribed fire operation may see and smell some smoke. After a prescribed burn is complete, passersby may see blackened bark on trees and areas burned debris on the ground. During the year following a prescribed fire, the blackened and burned spots will be replaced by new plant growth, wildflowers that were not there before the prescribed fire, and wildlife taking advantage of new habitats created by the fire.

 

 

Unlike wildfire smoke, which can linger for weeks at a time and contain harmful particulates from burned structures, cars and other hazardous materials, smoke from a prescribed burn is most often present for hours or for a day. The Department of Natural Resources follows the state’s Smoke Management Plan to reduce smoke exposure in communities. Still, we urge people who are sensitive to smoke to follow the same precautions they would for wildfire smoke. Information about smoke and public health is available here.

 

The Washington State Legislature granted DNR the authority to establish a certified burner program in 2018 when it adopted House Bill 2733.

 

DNR launched the program in the spring of 2022 to help educate professionals and private citizens gain the knowledge and skills needed to successfully implement prescribed fire on their landscapes. Program Manager Kyle Lapham and recent graduate Lucas King recently participated in a webinar about the program.

 

Learn more about the program on the Certified Burner Program page.