Why It Matters
Wildfire risk across the Western United States has intensified as decades of fire suppression have allowed forests to accumulate dense vegetation. Washington State is now training private landowners and conservation professionals to conduct controlled burns—a practice that research shows can reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires by up to 60 percent on their properties.
What Happened
Washington’s Department of Natural Resources has launched a Certified Prescribed Burn Manager course to equip residents with the skills and credentials to safely conduct planned fires in overly dense forests. The program, which began in 2022, recently completed its fifth cohort of trainees.
A class of 15 students—drawn from conservation districts, land trusts, environmental nonprofits, tribes, and forestry companies—completed the three-day certification course. The training combined classroom instruction, hands-on field practice, and a certification exam.
The practical component included a field outing at a nearby state forest, where students practiced fuel sampling and developed burn plans under wet conditions. The motivation for such training has become personal for residents in fire-prone areas: a large wildfire burned ridgelines above a basin in Olympic National Park last summer, reaching close to homes in the Cascade foothills.
Kyle Lapham, an instructor involved in the program, emphasized the urgency of the approach, stating “We need to be burning ourselves out of the problem, not waiting for fire to show up when we don’t want it.” He also stressed that private lands cannot be overlooked in this effort: “If you don’t treat any private lands, you’re missing the boat.”, as first reported by the Alabama Reflector
By the Numbers
15 — students in the most recent certified burn manager cohort
2022 — year the Washington DNR certification program launched
60 percent — reduction in high-intensity wildfire risk achieved through prescribed burning, according to research
1 mile — distance of a recent city-owned forest fire from homes in the author’s community
Zoom Out
A century of aggressive wildfire suppression policies across Western states has created conditions where fuel loads build unchecked in many forests. Federal land management agencies like the U.S. Forest Service control only a portion of at-risk forestland; vast acreage remains in private hands, creating management gaps that amplify regional fire risk.
Prescribed burning—also called controlled burns—has emerged as a critical tool to reduce those risks. By intentionally burning accumulated vegetation under controlled conditions, land managers can prevent the buildup of fuel that feeds uncontrolled wildfires. However, the practice requires training, proper timing, and regulatory approval, creating barriers to adoption, especially among private landowners unfamiliar with the technique.
Washington’s certification program addresses part of this challenge by creating a cadre of trained professionals who can plan and execute burns on private and community lands. Other Western states have begun similar initiatives, recognizing that wildfire risk cannot be managed by government agencies alone.
What’s Next
As graduates of the certification course move into the field, the focus will shift to implementation. The challenge lies in expanding the number of trained burn managers and securing the resources and regulatory conditions necessary to conduct burns at scale. Success will require coordination between private landowners, state agencies, and tribal governments to identify priority areas and execute treatment plans before fire season peaks.