Learning to Burn

A Stateline reporter joined Washington's Certified Prescribed Burn Manager course, a state DNR program launched in 2022 to train residents, conservation groups, and tribes to conduct low-intensity burns on private land.

The course covers reading atmospheric conditions for safe smoke dispersal and calculating fuel loads, reflecting a broader shift from decades of fire-suppression messaging toward encouraging deliberate, managed burning.

Instructors argue that because much of the fire-prone land in the West sits outside federal or state control, empowering private landowners to burn is essential; research cited in the piece suggests such treatment can cut high-intensity wildfire risk by 60%.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.