Burns Scheduled For NE Washington WDFW Lands

Prescribed burns will take place on Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife-managed lands this month, as conditions become favorable. WDFW is planning to treat nearly 500 acres with prescribed fire in the following areas by the end of the 2025 spring season:

Rustlers Gulch Unit, Sherman Creek Wildlife Area – Approximately 150 acres in Pend Oreille County, 20 miles north of Spokane
Sherman Creek Unit, Sherman Creek Wildlife Area - Approximately 350 acres in Ferry County, 10 miles west of Colville.

Land managers use prescribed fires as a forest management practice to reduce the risk of future wildfires, reduce the severity of wildfires when they do happen, and improve habitat for wildlife. The Department said they conduct prescribed fires during conditions that favor low intensity burning, such as in the spring when temperatures are cooler and there is increased precipitation.

“We can create and maintain wildlife habitat on these valuable ecosystems through low-to-moderate intensity fires, often after other forest management work has reduced fire fuel levels,” said Rob Lionberger, statewide prescribed fire planner for WDFW. “Prescribed fire can rejuvenate important plant species, including native grass and brush species favored by deer, elk, and moose. It also provides the added benefits of improved ecosystem health and resiliency and improved access for recreationists and hunters.”

Crews monitor prescribed fires continuously and work to minimize smoke impacts. WDFW said the smoke from a prescribed fire is usually lower in volume and much shorter in duration than a wildfire on the same piece of ground. Even so, the Department said they understand that these fires can be inconvenient for those who live in the area or recreate on the public lands.

“The temporary inconveniences of spring and fall prescribed burns can prevent months of dense wildfire smoke and have the benefit of being a planned and controlled event,” said Lionberger.

All burns are weather dependent.

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