Koele provides overview of Wisconsin wildfire program

Department of Natural Resources (DNR) wildfire prevention specialist Catherine Koele recently spoke to the Natural Resources Board (NRB) about the department’s wildfire department. Among other things, she explained the department’s role in wildfire management in the state. She also spoke about prevention measures.

“This mission of forest protection is to protect human life, property and natural resources from wildfire,” she said. 

In 1908 there were widespread fires. Approximately 1.2 million acres were burned in thousands of fires, many of which were a result of railroads and industry. There was a need for prevention, she said. The state was losing homes, businesses and even lives to wildfires. 

A forest fire, or wildfire, she said, is any fire that is burning, uncontrolled over forest, marsh, grassland or any other cutover lands. This does not include prescribed burns. Koehle noted that State Statute Chapter 26 gives the department the authority for all things related to prevention, detection and suppression of wild fires in the state. They also enter into MOUs with municipalities in more urban locations, she said, to help with wildfires that may threaten in those areas.

Wisconsin averages 800 wildfires per year. This accounts for a loss of 2,400 acres burned annually in DNR protection areas of the state. Most of the fires are small, encompassing one to two acres. 

On average, 50 structures are lost each year, which includes primary structures as well as pole barns and out buildings. Each year lives are lost as well, Koele said, noting that most do not hear about those statistics. More often than not it is a person who attempts to take suppression efforts against the fire that succumbs to the fire.

Seasonal trends

Koele spoke about seasonal trends as well. Spring is a peak time for wildfires, she said. 

Dead, dry vegetation after the snow has melted in the spring, coupled with high winds, make spring a prime time for fires. 

People cause 90% of wild fires in Wisconsin. Debris burning is the number one cause of wild fires in the state. These fires start in the south in March, typically, and moves to the north as spring goes on and snow melts. 

“When you see the large scale fires in the media and out west, it is very different here in Wisconsin,” she said, adding that while Wisconsin is not California we are not safe from catastrophic fires. 

She pointed to fires in 2013 and 2005 that were large-scale incidents in drought-type conditions. In the western United States, there are more lightning-caused fires where in Wisconsin, lightning is normally followed by rain, which puts the fire out.

Koele said she as seen a decline in forest fires in Wisconsin in her time at the department. 

This year’s fire season

Overall, fire occurrence is down in the last 30 years, as trends have been toward wetter springs and an increase in shade tolerant vegetation species that are less prone to fire. 

This year, with some drought-like conditions, fire dangers have been up and down, she said. This year, with the drought, the state has seen about 200 more fires this year than in an average year, with 4,400 acres burned. The ten-year average is 1,836 acres. 

The difference is two large-scale fires that have happened this year. 

This map depicts the DNR protection area where the Department of Natural Resources has primary wildfire suppression responsibility.
(Submitted image)

This year there were 21 fires larger than five acres. The Arcadia Fire in Monroe County burned approximately 3,000 acres. The Pallet Fire in Waushara County burned 730 acres in July. Koele said it is unusual to have these types of large-scale fires that late in the season. A good portion of the state continues to hover in drought conditions. For that reason, staffing for fire is up by 30-35%. Recent rain events have helped green things up on grassy areas at least, but there is still a deficit in precipitation in the state.

Equipment has caused approximately 30% of fires. Debris burning accounted for approximately 29% of fires. Additionally six percent of wildfires were caused by fireworks. All of these are human-related examples of fires typically found in the state. There were also three red flag warnings issues in April of this year. 

Three days in a row of red flag warnings is atypical in the state. 

Prior to the fire season, 260 prescribed burns were able to be completed. Koele reminded those in attendance that not all fire is bad fire. Prescribed burns are done for various reasons and this year the department hit their goal of over 26,000 acres burned in these burns. 

Summer burns, however, are put on hold for this year.

The forest protection section of the DNR include things like preparedness and training on suppression and prescribed burns.

There is also a law enforcement aspect to the program where citations can be given to people who cause fires that escape or who burn without a permit. 

The DNR also has memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with local fire departments. The agency helps to train those firefighters on wildfire suppression as well as administer grant funds for those departments. Equipment fabrication is also completed in Tomahawk. The section is also integral in community planning, working to help communities to develop wild fire protection grants.

Goals

One of the goals of the section is to get to fires quickly. Koele said the department wants to get the initial attack underway in 13-15 minutes. They use dozers and other equipment to keep the fire small, using air attack to slow the intensity of the fire. Another goal is to have 95% of fires contained to under five acres. The number one goal, she said, is life safety.

Koele also told the NRB about the department’s partnerships. There are MOUs with approximately 760 local fire departments in the state. 

Their relationship with the Army National Guard affords them access to Blackhawk helicopters with bucket capability. These were used on four fires this year. Single-engine air tankers are also used under contract, providing much-needed air support for fires. 

Koele said the department also works with the Chequamegon Nicolet National Forest. These two entities can cross-utilize each other’s resources in that partnership.

The most important partnership, according to Koele, is the Great Lakes Forest Fire Compact. This is a partnership between Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Ontario and Manitoba that includes training and resource shifting.

Outreach

The DNR uses a variety of tactics to create awareness and inform the public on how to burn safely. 

Ninety-eight percent of people who get a burning permit do not cause fires. If the rules of the permit are followed, users do not cause fires.

The department also uses partnerships with news outlets to prevent fires. She said meteorologists including fire danger in their local broadcasts goes a long way toward getting residents and visitors to understand the dangers. Use of electronic message boards is also a tactic used to disseminate information as well as using the state park systems as pathways to education for the public.

The public can stay in tune with current fire conditions, she said. The Wis-Burn mapping application shows the current fire danger throughout the state. DNR burn restrictions can be found on the map as well. Live fire activity and live prescribed burn activity can also be found on the map.

The fire management dashboard contains 10 years of fire data, Koele said. 

The mapping can be sorted by cause and by prescribed burns. 

All of this can be found on the DNR website dnr.wi.gov.

Beckie Gaskill may be reached via email at [email protected].