The Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has rolled out a new service to keep residents in the loop about prescribed burns. Thanks to this update, folks can now receive timely alerts about these controlled fires, which are intentionally set to manage vegetation and reduce the threat of larger, uncontrolled wildfires.
Signing up is straightforward: Visit the DNR Burn Portal and pick your preferred notification method—email, text, or both—and the locations you're interested in. You'll get notified whenever there's a planned prescribed burn within your selected area. The notifications, equipped with details of proximity, date, and burn size, are meant to inform subscribers about upcoming burns, not initiated solely by the DNR, but also by other entities engaging in these preventive fires.
"Prescribed fire is one of the most effective tools we have for reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfires and restoring the health of our fire-adapted forests and native grasslands," said Commissioner of Public Lands Dave Upthegrove. Upthegrove champions the new notification service and urges the public to subscribe, highlighting the integral role of prescribed burns in maintaining the health and safety of the state's landscapes.
Subscribers can manage their preferences easily; they can opt out of future notifications by simply logging into their subscription profile, which also displays a rundown of active and imminent burns around their designated areas. The DNR also provides educational resources for those eager to understand more about how these burns benefit the ecosystem. Interested individuals can view a brief video detailing the sign-up process and the ins and outs of prescribed burning by visiting the DNR’s dedicated webpage on prescribed fire.
