ARGYLE, Wis. — Spring wildfire season is upon us here in Wisconsin.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reported nearly 170 wildfires have burned 450 acres so far this year.
Jeb Barzen is an ecologist with the Healthy Grown Program. He and his team of volunteers conduct controlled burns across the state.
The DNR reported the number one cause of wildfires this time of year is burning brush, leaf piles and debris.
“You should not be lighting any fires unless you have some training or are comfortable doing so,” Barzen said.
Barzen said prescribed burns can be used as a tool to restore the ecosystem, but they can also be used to prevent larger wildfires.
“If you burn repeatedly brush fuel like this or dead branches from trees, those get burned up,” Barzen said.
Robert Baller is a crew leader on Barzen’s team. On top of volunteering to do prescribed burns, he also teaches classes for the Wisconsin Prescribed Fire Council.
“Provide safety discussion and talk about what is expected of crew out on the fire. Talk about the terminology so when we talk about head fires and backing fires, they know what we are talking about,” Baller said.
Baller said everyone can learn how to do controlled burns on their land.
Those burns that not only help protect their own houses but their neighbors’ homes as well.
“The fire council is gearing up with more educational programs. We are trying to make it more available to the public so they can learn safe practices and then there won’t be accidents,” Baller said.
Barzen said the best way to prevent a wildfire from happening is to be educated.
“Saying, ‘Do I have the experience and the resources to work with the fire that I plan on working with?’” Barzen said.
Several fire departments throughout Wisconsin have the ability to do prescribed burns.
Barzen said there are also several nonprofit and for-profit organizations that can provide this service as well.
Those organizations can be found, here.
