Studies show prescribed burns key to forest resiliency

A 2021 Work of Wildfire Assessment compiled by the Department of Natural Resources found prescribed fires that had been conducted recently helped reduce wildfire severity. Those treated areas also gave firefighters a place to corral the wildfire, said Garrett Meigs, a forest health scientist with the Department of Natural Resources. “It's not really a question of if these landscapes are going to burn, it's really when and how. And so if we anticipate that we can try to harness the work of wildfire for good outcomes,” Meigs said.