(WTAQ-WLUK) — Despite Sunday’s rain, burn permits are now required in parts of Wisconsin as drought conditions continue.
The state Department of Natural Resources issued a special fire order that begins on Tuesday. It applies to extensive DNR protection areas outside incorporated cities and villages in all of Columbia, Crawford, Green Lake, Marquette, Portage, Richland, Sauk, Waupaca and Waushara counties and portions of Oconto, Dane, Grant and Iowa counties.
That means that a DNR annual burning permit is required for burning in a barrel, a debris pile and grass or wooded areas as outlined by the permit, unless the ground is completely covered by snow.
Permits are not required for campfires intended for cooking or warming, but DNR encourages the public to be very careful. The agency recommends people consider having small campfires in a designated fire ring or device in the evening hours to avoid burning under elevated fire conditions, which are typically found during the day.
The DNR says Sunday’s rain did not improve the overall drought.
Official totals ranged from 0.07 inches in Wautoma to 1.10 inches in Sturgeon Bay.
The state’s fire danger map on Monday morning showed seven counties in the northeastern corner of Wisconsin, as well as a number of counties in the central and western parts of the state in “moderate” fire danger.
The latest U.S. drought monitor map, updated last Tuesday, showed the northeastern corner and the far northern part of Wisconsin in “severe drought” conditions. Most of the state was listed as “abnormally dry.”
The DNR says it plans to keep the permit requirements in place until the drought situation improves significantly. The agency’s prescribed burn program will also pause activity this week.
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