DNR sets brush fire for... the birds!?

WASHINGTON CO. (WITI) -- A huge fire tears through grassland in Washing County, and state officials say its a good thing. Why? The DNR caused the fire!

A DNR crew arrives at Jackson Marsh in Washington Co.

"We're heading to a 17-acre grass field that we're gonna burn today," said Tim Lizotte, DNR wildlife management supervisor.

It's the season for prescribed burns. DNR crews across the state intentionally se fires in grassy areas. Officials say, it's for the birds.

"We've got many species of birds in Wisconsin that depend on grasslands for nesting," said Lizotte. "However, over time, through succession, the woody vegetation moves into these grasslands and in the absence of burning, they basically become forested in a matter of ten years."

The DNR crew gears up and plans out the morning burn. The work begins with something of an outline. The crews ignite the edges of the area around the burn zone.

"Once, basically the downwind side and the sides of the burn are all blacked in, then we light the head fire and let the fire run with the wind into the blacked area," said Lizotte.

The fire spreads quickly, while the site of fast-moving flames and a large cloud of smoke seem scary, it's routine for these guys.

"We'd like for people to realize that it is actually a tool the department uses and we have highly trained staff that write a plan, plans are usually developed the winter before a burn," said Lizotte.

Workers spray down the edges of the fire to keep it in place. A number of DNR hands make sure the fire is anything but wild.

"A controlled, or prescribed fire, is much different from a wildfire and it is almost always a very positive force," said Lizotte.

The DNR has a list of more than 150 locations where it'd like to set a controlled fires. Due to weather conditions, it may not be able to reach all of these places.

In southeast Wisconsin, the fires start in April and usually wind down by the end of May.

The Wisconsin DNR has established a list of regions where prescribed fires will be set. CLICK HERE to view that list.

Want to learn more about the importance of prescribed burning in Wisconsin? CLICK HERE to sift through the Wisconsin DNR's write-up.