SNOHOMISH COUNTY — Fighting fire with fire might seem odd, but the strategy is embraced when trying to protect communities from extreme wildfires. As wildfire season approaches, authorities are planning to continue regular prescribed burns to proactively get ahead of potential wildfires.
Will Rubin, a spokesperson for state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) forest resilience, said the spring controlled burn season could start as early as March or as late as the back-half of April, depending on when the snow melts and the ground dries enough for a burn to be safe and successful.
The DNR introduced regular prescribed burns three years ago and is gearing up for its most extensive burn year yet. The Prescribed Fire Program began in 2021 after House Bill 1168 granted the program $1.2 million to build forest resilience and mitigate the effects of wildfires. Since then, the program has continued to grow and expand.
Last year, the United States Forest Service (USFS) prescribed burns outside of Skykomish and Darrington to eliminate brush piles. According to USFS fire management specialist Tessa Chicks, the agency will likely perform more prescribed burns on National Forest land in Snohomish County this year.
Prescribed Fire Program manager Jeff Dimke said that the program is planning to broadcast burn around 1,000 to 3,000 acres this year across Washington, not including the burns they do with partners such as The Nature Conservancy and other local Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs).
“This year we are working on a pilot project with our partners to burn with and across boundaries together. This is still in the works and setting priorities and units up for the pilot,” Dimke said.
The wildland fire season in Washington usually begins in early July according to the state Emergency Management Division, which also notes that approximately 900 wildland fires are
addressed per year across the state.
Rubin said the Prescribed Fire Program was implemented to reintroduce controlled burns to central and eastern Washington ecosystems in a way that was both cost-effective and had a historically high success rate of promoting forest resiliency.
A prescribed burn, also referred to as a “controlled burn” or “prescribed fire,” is a planned fire used to meet forest resiliency objectives, according to the National Park Service.
A prescription is a set of conditions that considers the safety of the public and fire staff, weather, and probability of meeting burn objectives. The goal of these burns is to mitigate the extent of wildfires by reducing excess fuel, such as fallen leaves and branches.
“A lot of times in central and eastern Washington, we’re burning in a spot that historically had burns every 10 to 15 years, going back hundreds of thousands of years, so returning that fire to the landscape is something that the landscape is used to,” Rubin said.
The USFS website says that more prescribed burns also reduces the risk of extreme wildfires, protecting surrounding communities from both fire damages and harmful air pollution. Unlike wildfire smoke, which can linger in the air for weeks across large areas of land, prescribed burn smoke stays local and lasts for as long as a day, Dimke said.
Snohomish County residents can see scheduled prescribed burns by checking the Prescribed Fire Program website, which also allows them to subscribe to received burn alert emails.
This story was produced by a journalism student at the UW News Lab for the Tribune.
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Sammie Davis of Snohomish uses a drip-torch to set a backburn during an active wildfire in Colorado a few years ago. The same torches are used to light controlled burns.
