To protect forests, I learned to burn them

A journalist enrolled in Washington's Certified Prescribed Burn Manager course, a state Department of Natural Resources program launched in 2022 to train residents to safely set controlled fires in overgrown forests.

The three-day class covers fuel moisture, smoke dispersal, and weather conditions, ending in a certification test alongside classmates from conservation groups, tribes, and forestry companies. The underlying premise is a reversal of a century of American fire policy: after decades of suppression left Western forests dangerously dense, officials now argue that deliberately burning them is the only way to prevent catastrophic wildfires later.

Instructors note that research shows such burns can cut the risk of high-intensity wildfire by 60%, and that much of the land needing this treatment sits on private property outside the reach of federal or state agencies — hence the push to train ordinary landowners.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.