Reducing Wildfire Risk: WDFW Prescribes Fires in Eastern WA

Photo byWashington Department of Fish and Wildlife

Eastern Washington will once again see firefighters fight wildfires with fire this spring, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has announced.

Prescribed fires on public lands in Eastern Washington are slated for March, as conditions allow, the WDFW reports.

The annually planned blazes on WDFW wildlife areas are meant to reduce the risk of future wildfires and the severity of wildfires that do happen, according to WDFW officials.

“The mild conditions this winter allow us to begin burning earlier than usual on WDFW-managed lands, and this is a good time to reduce hazardous fire conditions before the wildfire season starts,” said WDFW Prescribed Fire Manager Matt Eberlein. “Prescribed fires are monitored continuously until they are out, with public safety a primary concern.”

WDFW sets prescribed fires every spring and fall on public lands that the Department tends to statewide, the Department reports. There is a small window of time when prescribed burns can be conducted when the weather is cool but not too wet, according to the WDFW.

“The areas slated for prescribed fire this spring are limited to portions of wildlife areas, leaving hundreds or thousands more acres for public access,” said Eberlein.

The WDFW further reports that it is planning to set prescribed fires on some 660 acres of Eastern Washington wildlife areas by the end of the 2024 spring season.

They include the Rustlers Gulch Wildlife Area 20 miles west of Newport and the Methow Wildlife Area a mile northwest of Winthrop, the WDFW reports. The LT Murray Wildlife Area 5 miles west of Ellensburg will also see prescribed fires, according to the WDFW.

More burns on WDFW-managed Eastern Washington lands could be announced if conditions allow, the WDFW reports further.