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Press Release
This spring, firefighters across Central Washington will once again be using fire to help restore watersheds and better protect nearby communities. Excluded from the ecosystem for nearly 100 years, frequent, low-intensity fire is essential for restoring public lands and the communities who depend on them.
“As wildfires were advancing towards the communities of Ardenvoir and Winthrop last fall, decades of proactive thinning and prescribed fire robbed these fires of fuel and allowed firefighters a safer place to make a stand” said Forest Fire Management Officer, Rob Allen. “This spring we’re continuing to share stewardship, working side by side with local, state, tribal, and other partners to bring more good fire back to the lands that so desperately need it.”
While more than 10,000 acres are planned this spring, fewer acres may be completed if conditions are not favorable. Conditions include correct temperature, wind, fuel moisture and ventilation for smoke. When these criteria are met, firefighters implement, monitor, and patrol each burn to ensure it meets forest health and public safety goals including air quality.
“Together with our partners, we’re burning on days that maximize safety, minimize smoke impacts, and do right on the land” added Allen. “We’re taking the long-view that breathing some smoke in the fall and spring is a time-tested way to stop living in this era of megafires.”
Residents and visitors can expect to see and smell some smoke each day during burning operations. For more information on smoke and public health, please visit: wasmoke.blogspot.com
Real-time prescribed fire maps and updates:
Okanogan County:
Chelan County:
Kittitas County:
Yakima County:
*Additional prescribed fires and pile burns may be conducted if favorable conditions allow.