Okanogan and Wenatchee National Forests

Wenatchee River Ranger District
600 Sherbourne
Leavenworth, WA 98826

509. 548-2550 or 548.2551 Voice
509.548.5817 Fax

Forestry Sciences Laboratory
1133 N. Western
Wenatchee, WA 98801

509.662-4315 Voice
509.664.2742 Fax

Prescribed burning is usually done for one of these reasons:

Site Preparation/Regeneration: Before a logged area is re-planted it might be burned to reduce the slash (branches and other debris). Burning returns nutrients to the soil and lets more sunlight get to the ground which helps the planted seedlings survive and grow. Burning can also help natural regeneration of plants. Fuel and Risk Reduction: Carefully controlled burning can help reduce unnatural concentrations of fuel that might lead to catastrophic wildfires.

Re-introducing Fire: Fire is a natural part of the forest ecosystem. Without it the forest becomes unhealthy. For the last 70 years, most natural fires have been put out. Prescribed burning is a way of getting fire back into the natural cycles of the ecosystem.

HOW IT'S DONE

Most prescribed fires are lit by crews using the drip torch, a hand-carried device that pours out a small stream of burning fuel. Exactly how each unit is ignited depends on weather, the lay of the land, and the intensity of the fire needed to meet the goal of the burn.

Sometimes the fires are lit from a helicopter using a helitorch, which pours out a large stream of burning fuel from a drum slung underneath, or a sphere dispenser, which drops small balls that ignite and burn after landing on the ground. Both methods can quickly create a large, fast-burning fire.

WHAT ABOUT THE SMOKE?

The goal is always to have prescribed fires burn quickly, cleanly and under control, and for smoke to be carried up and away from the area. Conditions are watched constantly and many times scheduled burns are cancelled at the last minute if things aren't right for meeting that goal. But weather and winds are unpredictable and there is always a chance that smoke will end up in the valleys. This happens mostly at night when cool, calm air flows down and collects in the low areas, bringing smoke with it.

Smoke is an unavoidable consequence of prescribed burning. But fire is an essential part of the natural cycles and health of the forest.

Natural fuels burns (re-introducing fire into the ecosystem) are often several hundred acres. Because of their size they are likely to burn longer, and can sometimes produce smoke for a week or more.

PRESCRIBE BURN APPROVAL PROCESS

Each year prescribed burning information is entered into the FASTRACS database. FASTRACS stands for Fuel Analysis, Smoke Tracking, and Report Access Computer System. It provides a system for planning, tracking, and reporting fuels management related activities.  FASTRACS information can be accessed from the following web site:  http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/fire/fastracs/reports.htm

1. The day before a prescribed burn FASTRACS information is accessed by Department of Natural Resources Smoke Management personnel in Olympia. The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is responsible for monitoring air quality emissions from silvicultural burning in the State. 

2.  A meteorologist in the DNR Olympia office determines if air and weather conditions (wind direction, air mixing heights, down wind effects, etc.) are conducive to prescribed burning. 

3.  Each proposed burn is given a go/no go decision by the DNR Smoke Management Officer.  Once a go/no go decision has been made, DNR in Olympia contacts the Central Washington Interagency Communications Center (CWICC) in East Wenatchee by phone and also e-mail about the decision. This decision is also forwarded to each ranger district and the forest headquarters office.

4.  At 8:30 a.m. each morning fire management personnel from the Okanogan and Wenatchee National Forests headquarters office, CWICC, and each ranger district participate in a conference call to discuss how burning operations went the previous day, the day’s planned burning activities, and what the plans are for burning the next day. 

5.  Once DNR and the headquarters office give a “go” for the burn, the Prescribed Fire Manager at each district has the final say as to whether the prescribed burn will occur.  The Prescribed Fire Manager makes sure that burn parameters are met, that all conditions are in accord with the burn plan (which tells the objectives of the prescribed burn), and checks wind speed and direction, fuel moisture content, etc.  The Prescribed Fire Manager, in the case of a large burn, also makes the determination on the number of acres to burn each day (within the total number of acres that are approved to burn).  If the burn is not meeting objectives, if there are not enough people to sustain the operation, or if the fire is not burning well then the Prescribed Fire Manager has the option to suspend burning until conditions change.

6.  The National Weather Service provides site specific (also known as spot) weather forecasts on request.  Weather information is sent in from the burn site and 30 minutes later a spot weather forecast is ready for fire management personnel to use.  Usually, a spot weather forecast is requested each morning prior to ignition; these forecasts are also available throughout the day.

General Information:

• Prescribed burning should continue through the end of May if current conditions persist.
• This same process is used regardless of the size of the burning project.
• Burning usually occurs over multiple days for large area burns.

FUTURE PLANS

The amount of burning for site preparation will probably the same or less in the next few years. Burning to re-introduce fire into the ecosystem, however, is expected to grow to as much as 5000 acres a year.

If you have questions about the Okanogan National Forest prescribed burning program, want to know the latest burning schedules (it changes constantly), or would like to see a burn as it happens please:

Call us at:

Methow Valley Area: 509-996-4040  burn information hot line and recorded messages

or 509-996-400 (Mon-Fri, 8am-4:30pm)

Okanogan Valley/Tonasket Area: 509-486-2186 (Mon-Fri, 8am-4:30pm)

We are always interested in what you think!