The safest time to burn debris on your property is when snow remains on the ground - and the Wisconsin DNR is urging residents to get their burns done before the snow melts this spring.
The DNR further asks residents to check for lingering embers in their burn piles before the snow melts, to avoid those embers developing into dangerous wildfires.
Residents are also encouraged to use alternatives to burns, such as composting, chipping or hauling vegetative waste to approved disposal sites.
“The big concern is the number of large debris piles on the landscape, indicating that many property owners are intending to burn as a method of disposal," said Craig Williams, DNR Forestry Area Leader, in a statement Friday.
Fire season begins right after the snow melts and as vegetation dries out with the warmer temperatures, low humidity and strong winds.
Last spring, DNR-issued burn permits were suspended during the state's peak wildfire season due to the coronavirus pandemic.
