Early spring brings early wildfire season

The recent surge in warmer temperatures is moving Wisconsin into an unusually early spring that has the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources gearing up for an equally early wildland fire season.

More than 60 percent of all Wisconsin wildfires each year occur in March, April and May.

Shawano and Menominee counties are already snow-free and implementing burning restrictions.

Zach Hylinski, DNR forest ranger for western Shawano County, said Friday the current fire danger is “at moderate and moving toward high.”

There has already been one fire so far in the protection zone Hylinski oversees. That fire, in Wescott, burned just under a quarter acre, he said. But area firefighters have been called out to several brush fires outside that zone.

Three fire calls in one day were reported by the Shawano County Sheriff’s Department on Wednesday, two of them involving the burning of brush or garbage that got out of control. An earlier brush fire burned a maple syrup shack.

Hylinski said recent years’ late snowfalls delayed the area’s traditional fire seasons into late April and May. Not this year.

“This year is looking to be very different and very early,” Hylinski said. “As soon as the snow cover is gone, burning permits are required in DNR protection areas.”

Burning permits are required in all of Menominee County and parts of Shawano County anytime that the ground is not 100 percent covered by snow. The areas of Shawano County that require a burning permit include the townships of Almon, Aniwa, Bartelme, Birnamwood, Fairbanks, Germania, Grant, Hutchins, Morris, Red Springs, Seneca, Wescott (north of Curt Black Road and east of state Highway 47 and west to Lake Drive), and Wittenberg.

“The fire season could be more active this year because Wisconsin did not get a lot of snow this past winter, which means less water going into the ground resulting in dry conditions,” Hylinski said.

Weather is the single most important factor influencing how fires start — and how they spread. In the spring, fire danger changes daily with the weather. This is why it is important for area residents to always check before they burn and to follow the daily burn restrictions, Hylinski noted.

Weather, however, is not the only factor contributing to wildfires.

“Debris burning is Wisconsin’s top cause of wildfires because of spring’s typical weather conditions,” Hylinski said. “Warmer temperatures, lower humidity and wind are bad conditions for outdoor burning.”

Many people are eager to get outside and work hard to clear their properties of leaf litter, brush and pine needles so it looks good and is ready for the growing season.

“Then, they burn this debris pile,” Hylinski said.

Many area residents obtain proper permits and conduct their burn, he said, but neglect to make certain their fire is out before leaving – and fail to return to make sure the ashes are cold.

“All it takes is one hot ember from a property owner’s debris pile to go airborne in the spring breeze, and that spring clean-up job can quickly become a wildland fire no one intended,” Hylinski said.

The DNR urges residents to consider composting yard waste or hauling it to a transfer site rather than burning.

Penalties exist for anyone found responsible for causing a wildland fire. They could be liable for the costs it takes to suppress a wildland fire and potentially any damages.

“Spring always is a much-welcomed season after our winters,” Hylinski said. “With a little planning and dedication to getting your burn permit and following daily burn restrictions, we can work together and make it a safe one, too.”