SPOKANE- Annual prescribed fires on lands managed by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife in eastern Washington are scheduled to start in October as conditions allow, according to a department press release.

“These areas slated for prescribed fire in eastern Washington include only portions of wildlife areas, leaving thousands more acres available for public access,” said Matt Eberlein, Prescribed Fire Manager at WDFW, in the release. “In the long-term, the work will preserve ecosystems and continue to provide access to public lands.”

Prescribed fires are a forest management practice WDFW and other agencies use on wildlife areas and other public lands to reduce the risk of future wildfires, reduce the severity of wildfires when they do happen, and improve habitat for wildlife, the release said. Prescribed fires are monitored continuously until extinguished and crews work to minimize smoke.

With funding from the state’s 2021-2023 Capital Budget and grants, WDFW is planning prescribed fires in the following areas by the end of the 2022 fall season:

Colockum Wildlife Area, 500 acres in Chelan County, 20 miles southeast of Wenatchee.

Oak Creek Wildlife Area, Cougar Canyon, 200 acres in Yakima County, 10 miles west of Naches.

The Oak Creek Cougar Canyon burn is a cross boundary effort involving both WDFW and Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) lands and fire crews.

The release states all burns are weather dependent, the release noted. If conditions are not optimal for safe and effective prescribed fires they may not occur, and additional burns could be announced if conditions allow.