DNR: Elevated fire danger continues across Wisconsin

Outside of rain earlier this week, very little precipitation is forecasted for the Northwoods over the course of the next several days.

That prompted the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to issue a press release April 14 announcing that burn permits had been suspended in 41 counties that day.

“DNR burn permit restrictions and fire danger vary from county to county,” the DNR press release explained. “However, the DNR will suspend annual burn permits in these critical areas where the DNR has burn restriction authority.”

 John Gillen, a team leader for the DNR’s Division of Forestry, said Oneida and Vilas counties were included in that list of 41 counties for April 15 and the burn permit situation is updated every day. 

His area of responsibility with the DNR covers Oneida, Vilas, Lincoln, Marathon and Taylor counties. 

“We’ve received quite an inconsistency in terms of precipitation across those five counties the last few days, Woodruff receiving the most,” Gillen said Monday. “That’s why Vilas and Oneida are at a higher fire danger rather than the other three counties in our area today, for instance.” 

Over the course of last Saturday and Sunday, he said his DNR team responded to “a number of fires” and as of Monday, “we certainly are at a more elevated fire danger today and lilely again tomorrow.”

“We definitely want folks to be conscientious of anything that can potentially ignite a forest fire with warmer temperatures, lower humidity, bright sunshine and the wind,” Gillen said. “Debris burning is, unfortunately, our number one cause of forest fires but you know, equipment ... loose chains on a trailer dragging behind a vehicle.”

Improper ash disposal, he said, “where folks think that ash is cool from a number of days ago” that are at times, dumped into what Gillen described as “ready fuels” in the forest. 

“It gets that oxygen and wind on it and can start a forest fire pretty easily,” he said. “Same with a barbecue grill and even something as simple as running a chainsaw. Some sparks at the wrong time of day and in the wrong spot can ignite a forest fire as these finer fuels like leaves and grass start to really dry out which only takes a couple hours after any moisture burns off in the morning.”

More information, including the daily county burn permit status, may be found on the DNR website at https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/OpenBurning/BeforeYouBurn.html.

Brian Jopek may be reached via email at [email protected].