Prescribed burning in Wisconsin: Do you need a permit?

We are in the midst of our spring burn season but scheduling has been maddeningly complex, since it has been hard to predict from one day to the next whether the state has canceled burns. More complicated, some areas of the state need permits and other areas do not.

About 10 years ago I publised an article for The Prairie Promoter about burn permits in Wisconsin. There have been some important changes at the state level in how these burn permits are issued, so this Blog is a revised version of that article.

Note that there are two kinds of permits issued. The important permits for those carrying out prescribed burns are for daytime burns. The other permit deals with burns begun after 6 PM in the evening and on relatively small acreages. Daytime permits require the submission to the regional forester of a prescribed burn plan. After 6 PM permits require simply the application to the local fire warden. Both types of burn permits are discussed below.

****************************************************************************

Burning permits are required for controlled burns in some parts of Wisconsin but not others. The regulations on burning are quite complicated and there is considerable variation across the state. In general, it can be stated that regulations are most stringent in those areas that are predominantly forested. It is in these areas that the Division of Forestry of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has the responsibility for controlling forest fires. In the Wisconsin Statutes, the term “forest fire” means “uncontrolled, wild, or running fires occurring on forest, marsh, field, cutover or other lands or involving farm, city or village property and improvements...” (WS 26.11). This broad definition obviously covers the types of burning activities which concern restoration ecologists.

Although much of the DNR regulations are focused on preventing forest fires, the DNR also recognizes that “prescribed burning reduces unwanted vegetation and logging debris. It prepares sites for tree planting or direct seeding. And it reduces the potential for destructive wildfires by reducing fuel accumulations.”

As far as burning regulations are concerned, four types of areas in the state are recognized: intensive, extensive, cooperative, and municipal. See the map below for details.

Intensive fire control areas

In Intensive Protection Areas the DNR is responsible for forest fire control. These areas are the most heavily forested and contain the most fire hazards and risk (red areas in the map). They have more DNR fire suppression resources and ranger stations. Fire detection is accomplished with fire towers, aerial detection, and citizen reporting. The most restrictive burning laws are in effect. These laws are regulated by the DNR and require a burning permit whenever the ground is not snow covered throughout the year.

The Intensive Protection Areas are primarily in the northern part of the state. Also classified as intensive is a large area centered on Necedah. (See map) Note that in these areas burning permits are required at any time the ground is not snow covered, except inside incorporated villages or cities. Permits can be obtained from local emergency fire wardens and DNR field stations.

Extensive fire control areas

The DNR is also responsible for forest fire control in Extensive Protection Areas. These are less forested than intensive areas and have fewer DNR suppression resources and ranger stations. Hazards and risk are still high in these areas. Fire detection is accomplished with aerial detection and citizen reporting. Burning is regulated by the DNR and except within incorporated villages and cities permits are needed whenever the ground is not snow covered from January 1 through May 31 (and other times when the department so orders). Daytime permits can be obtained from local emergency fire wardens and DNR ranger stations upon submission of a prescribed burn plan.

The Extensive Fire Protection Areas are predominantly along the lower and middle Wisconsin River drainage, and include the Dodgeville and Waupaca Dispatch Groups. (See map)

Cooperative fire control areas

Some parts of the state are not sufficiently forested and do not contain the hazards and risks necessary to warrant intensive or extensive fire protection. These areas are designated as Cooperative Fire Protection Areas. DNR ranger stations and suppression resources are not located in these areas. Town chairpersons have the responsibility for suppressing forest fires. This is accomplished through the local fire departments, with the DNR only providing technical and financial assistance. The town board regulates burning and restrictions vary throughout the state.

Included here are vast areas of the state in the southern, south-central, southeast, northeast, and west central parts of the states. (White areas on the map) In these areas burning permits are issued by the town chairperson or other appointed wardens. There is great variability here in how burning is regulated. Many towns do not regulate at all and permits are not required. Some entities do not even want to be notified if a controlled burn is to take place. Suppression is carried out by the local fire department (rural or municipal).

Incorporated cities and villages

Burning permits may be required by local ordinances, and permits are issued by local government officials or fire departments, which should be contacted for information. Regulation of controlled burning may be stricter in cities and villages than in towns, although there is considerable variation across the state. In many cases incorporated areas regulate burning not because of potential fire hazard, but due to air pollution concerns.

Fire Management Dispatch Groups

In the Intensive and Extensive fire control areas, the state is divided into a number of Fire Management Dispatch Groups (named in the county-by-county table below). These are groups named from the community in which the central office is located. Within each Dispatch Group, a number of separate Fire Response Units (FRUs) have been established. For instance, the Dodgeville Group has FRUs at Spring Green, Boscobel, Richland Center, and Poynette. Burning permits are issued at each FRU for locations in its area.

Daytime and evening permits

           As mentioned above, two kinds of burn permits are issued, one for fires started after 6:00 P.M., and one for daytime fires.

           Daytime permits must be obtained through the local FRU. These are issued based on submitted prescribed burn plans and can be written for the whole spring burn season. However, specific verbal authorization must be obtained on the morning of the day on which the burn is to be carried out. The authorization is obtained by telephone either from the responsible fire ranger or through the regional dispatch group.

           The rationale for the 6:00 P.M. permit is that in the evening humidity is generally higher and winds are lighter, making the burn less hazardous. Under most cases, an “after 6:00 P.M. permit” can be written by a local fire warden without prior approval of the DNR in the FRU. These permits are written for a whole year. However, the holder must call the DNR hotline (1-888-WIS-BURN (947-2876) or access the burning restriction web site (dnr.wi.gov/wisburn) to ensure that burning is permitted on that day. Regulation is done on a county by county basis, and the information is updated after 11 AM daily.

The local fire department

            In cooperative and incorporated areas, the local fire department has the responsibility if a controlled burn gets out of hand. In intensive and extensive fire control areas, the local fire department works closely with the DNR to suppress fires. In all cases it is essential that the local fire department be notified ahead of time that a prescribed burn is to take place. In these days of widespread use of cellular telephones and the 911 emergency system, dispatching agencies occasionally receive 911 calls from citizens reporting not only wildfires but also controlled burns. Even if the local fire department has been notified ahead of time of an upcoming burn, it is still required to respond to a 911 call, but may not need to mobilize its full forces.

Summary

Area (see map)	Requirements
Cooperative	No DNR burning permit required. However, the township may have its own permit system or other burning regulations. Check with the Town Chairman.
Extensive	Burning permits required from January 1 through May 31 whenever the ground is not snow covered.
Intensive	Burning permits required all year long whenever the ground is not snow covered.

Procedures for specific locations

A large amount of information on the DNR forest fire program is available on the DNR web site. This link is a useful entry point. This web page provides a county-level table and map of the whole state. By clicking on an appropriate area one can determine how that area is regulated and obtain telephone numbers and other information.

I have summarized in the table below the information from this web site for the whole state on a county by county basis. This table is only intended to give an overview. It is strongly recommended that the DNR web site be accessed to obtain specific information on a particular county, or part of a county. If the area to be burned is within one of the Dispatch Groups, the web site will give telephone numbers where further information can be obtained.

Some counties are only partially regulated by the DNR

           Note that some counties have split designations so that parts may be under DNR control and others are only under local control. The map above shows those counties.

For instance, in Dane County only a few townships in the northwest part are under DNR control: Berry; Black Earth; Mazomanie; Roxbury; and Vermont; with only a small part of Blue Mounds (north fragment only). All other townships in Dane County are under local control. Those under DNR control are heavily forested. The table below should be consulted for information on a specific county.

Fire Response Units by County

County	Fire Response Unit	Type of area
Adams	Wisconsin Rapids Dispatch Group	Intensive
Ashland (south east)	Park Falls Dispatch Group	Intensive
Ashland (north west)	Brule Dispatch Group	Intensive
Ashland (Chequamegon N.F.)	U.S. Forest Service
Barron (most))	Cooperative Area	Coop
Barron (east)	Park Falls Dispatch Group	Intensive
Barron (north)	Cumberland Dispatch Group	Intensive
Bayfield (except south)	Brule Dispatch Group	Intensive
Bayfield (Chequamegon N.F.)	U.S. Forest Service
Brown	Cooperative Area	Coop
Buffalo	Cooperative Area	Coop
Burnett (small area south)	Cooperative Area	Coop
Burnett (most)	Cumberland Dispatch Group	Intensive
Calumet	Cooperative Area	Coop
Chippewa (part)	Cooperative Area	Coop
Chippewa (north)	Black River Falls Dispatch Group	Intensive
Clark (part)	Cooperative Area	Coop
Clark (west and south)	Black River Falls Dispatch Group	Intensive
Columbia	Dodgeville Dispatch Group	Extensive
Columbia (small area in northwest)	Wisconsin Rapids Dispatch Group	Intensive
Crawford	Dodgeville Dispatch Group	Extensive
Dane (most)	Cooperative Area	Coop
Dane (north west)	Dodgeville Dispatch Group	Extensive
Dodge	Cooperative Area	Coop
Door	Cooperative Area	Coop
Douglas	Brule Dispatch Group	Intensive
Dunn	Cooperative Area	Coop
Eau Claire (most)	Cooperative Area	Coop
Eau Claire (east)	Black River Falls Dispatch Group	Intensive
Florence (east)	Peshtigo Dispatch Group	Intensive
Florence (Nicolet N.F.)	U.S. Forest Service
Fond du Lac	Cooperative Area	Coop
Forest (south west)	Woodruff Dispatch Group	Intensive
Forest (south)	Peshtigo Dispatch Group	Intensive
Forest (Nicolet N.F.)	U.S. Forest Service
Grant (most)	Cooperative Area	Coop
Grant (north))	Dodgeville Dispatch Group	Extensive
Green	Cooperative Area	Coop
Green Lake	Waupaca Dispatch Group	Extensive
Iowa (south)	Cooperative Area	Coop
Iowa (north)	Dodgeville Dispatch Group	Extensive
Iron	Brule Dispatch Group	Intensive
Jackson (part)	Cooperative Area	Coop
Jackson (east and north)	Black River Falls Dispatch Group	Intensive
Jefferson	Cooperative Area	Coop
Juneau (part)	Cooperative Area	Coop
Juneau (north and east)	Wisconsin Rapids Dispatch Group	Intensive
Kenosha	Cooperative Area	Coop
Kewaunee	Cooperative Area	Coop
La Crosse	Cooperative Area	Coop
Lafayette	Cooperative Area	Coop
Langlade (east)	Peshtigo Dispatch Group	Intensive
Langlade (west)	Woodruff Dispatch Group	Intensive
Lincoln	Woodruff Dispatch Group	Intensive
Manitowoc	Cooperative Area	Coop
Marathon (west)	Cooperative Area	Coop
Marathon (north)	Woodruff Dispatch Group	Intensive
Marathon (south and east)	Wisconsin Rapids Dispatch Group	Intensive
Marinette	Peshtigo Dispatch Group	Intensive
Marquette	Waupaca Dispatch Group	Extensive
Menominee	Waupaca Dispatch Group	Extensive
Milwaukee	Cooperative Area	Coop
Monroe (south)	Cooperative Area	Coop
Monroe (north)	Black River Falls Dispatch Group	Intensive
Oconto	Peshtigo Dispatch Group	Extensive
Oneida	Woodruff Dispatch Group	Intensive
Outagamie	Cooperative Area	Coop
Ozaukee	Cooperative Area	Coop
Pepin	Cooperative Area	Coop
Pierce	Cooperative Area	Coop
Polk (small area in north)	Cumberland Dispatch Group	Intensive
Polk (most)	Cooperative Area	Coop
Portage	Wisconsin Rapids Dispatch Group	Extensive
Price (part)	Park Falls Dispatch Group	Intensive
Price (Chequamegon N.F.)	U.S. Forest Service
Racine	Cooperative Area	Coop
Richland	Dodgeville Dispatch Group	Extensive
Rock	Cooperative Area	Coop
Rusk	Park Falls Dispatch Group	Intensive
Sauk (Delton and Dellona Townships)	Wisconsin Rapids Dispatch Group	Intensive
Sauk (most of county)	Dodgeville Dispatch Group	Extensive
Sawyer (part)	Park Falls Dispatch Group	Intensive
Sawyer (Chequamegon N.F.)	U.S. Forest Service
Shawano (east)	Cooperative Area	Coop
Shawano (west)	Waupaca Dispatch Group	Intensive
Sheboygan	Cooperative Area	Coop
St. Croix	Cooperative Area	Coop
Taylor	Park Falls Dispatch Group	Intensive
Trempealeau	Cooperative Area	Coop
Vernon	Cooperative Area	Coop
Vilas (part)	Woodruff Dispatch Group	Intensive
Vilas (Nicolet N.F.)	U.S. Forest Service	Coop
Walworth	Cooperative Area	Coop
Washburn	Cumberland Dispatch Group	Intensive
Washington	Cooperative Area	Coop
Waukesha	Cooperative Area	Coop
Waupaca	Waupaca Dispatch Group	Extensive
Waushara	Waupaca Dispatch Group	Extensive
Winnebago	Cooperative Area	Coop
Wood (north)	Cooperative Area	Coop
Wood (south)	Wisconsin Rapids Dispatch Group	Intensive