Prescribed Fire
What is Prescribed Fire?
Prescribed Fire is any fire ignited by management actions to meet specific objectives. We use it as a tool for
- fuels reduction,
- vegetation management, and
- wildlife habitat maintenance.
Planning a prescribed burn begins months in advance. A written, approved prescribed fire plan must be completed, control measures such as firelines must be established, notification to the public must be made, and mitigation measure to protect values at risk must be set prior to ignition.
Visit the national website for more information on prescribed fire within the Forest Service.
Supplemental Information Report - Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Fuels FEIS
Planned Prescribed Fires
These are the planned prescribed fires for the current year for the Superior National Forest. The eastern side of the Superior National Forest will begin fall pile burning. The following two maps for the Tofte Ranger District and the Gunflint Ranger District show pile burning locations.
Prescribed fire operations for the west zone of the Superior National Forest will begin when conditions improve.
Burntside Pile Burn Units
Crab Creek-–T63N, R13W, Sec17 (40 acres)
Cool Crab–T63N, R13W, Sec19 (23 acres)
Pine Peaks East–T63N, R13W, Sec1 (18 acres)
Pine Peaks West–T63N, R13W, Sec1 (17 acres)
Twin Shoreline–T63N, R13W, Sec1 (14 acres)
Twin North–T63N, R13W, Sec2 (47 acres)
Twin South–T63N, R13W, Sec1-2 & 11-12 (48 acres)
Twins-T63N, R13W, Sec1 & 12 (31 acres)
Twin Point–R63N, R13W, Sec 11-12 (57 acres)
West Twin Point–T63N, R13W, Sec11 & 14 (34 acres)
Chant Point–T63N, R13W, Sec14 (18 acres)
Hunch Creek–T64N, R13W, Sec13 (29 acres)
North Everett–T64N, R12W, Sec31 (12 acres)
Lake Vermilion Units
Bystrom Bay–T63N, R16W, Sec28 (5 acres)
North Pine–T63N, R16W, Sec26&27 (3 acres)
Rice Bay South–T63N, R15W, Sec34
Gunflint-Prescribed pile burning will begin September-December, 2025 for a total of 1,547 acres
- Reindeer 2 –T61N, R2W, S32 (57 acres)
- Heavyweight 1-4–T60N-61N, R2W, Sec11-14, 21 & 31 (370 acres)
- Hound 3–T61N, R1W, Sec10 (54 acres)
- Nova 4–T60N, R2E, Sec7 (39 acres)
- Atlas–T63N, R1E, Sec15 (6 acres)
- Rescue 7, 8, 10 & 11–T64N, R1E, Sec20,21, & 27 (193 acres)
- East Bearskin 1 & 2–T64N, R1W, Sec12 (130 acres)
- Squint–T64N, R1W, Sec9 (118 acres)
- Hungry Jack–T65N, R1W, Sec34 (152 acres)
- Flour–T64N, R1W, Sec 1,2, & 11 (138 acres)
- Caribou–T65N, R1W, Sec33 (68 acres)
- Seagull Guard Station–T65N, R4W, Sec9 (10 acres)
- Airport–T62N, R1W, Sec23 (40 acres)
- Menogyn–T65N, R1W, Sec34 (12 acres)
- Cross River–T65N, R4W, Sec26 (40 acres)
- Greenwood–T61N, R2W, Sec14 (40 acres)
- East Bearskin–T64N, R1W, Sec 11 (40 acres)
- Pike Lake–T61N, R2W, Sec14 (40 acres)
Tofte-Prescribed pile burning will begin September-December, 2025 for a total of 1,635 acres
- Eddy 1, 2, 7, 10, 11, 14 & 17–T61N, R9W, Sec 15, 16, 21 & 22 (171 acres)
- Fry 4 & 5–T60N, R4W, Sec8, 9, 15 & 15 (28 acres)
- Little Isabella Campground–T60N, R9W, Sec25 (14 acres)
- Isabella Compound–T59N, R8W, Sec5 (5 acres)
- Harriet Pit–T60N, R6W, Sec29 (40 acres)
- Crooked Pit–T59N, R6W, Sec10 (40 acres)
- Caribou Pit–T59N, R3W, Sec3 (40 acres)
- Tofte Compound–59N, 4W, Sec21 (5 acres)
- Starbuck 7, 8 & 10–T60N, R8-9W, Sec3, 8, & 36 (79 acres)
- Slither 1, 5, 6, & 8-10–T58N, R8&9W, Sec1, 13-14, and 31 (99 acres)
- Cowboy 2, 4 & 6–T59-60N, R7W, Sec4&33 (26 acres)
- Sofa 6–T61N, R6W, Sec19 (17 acres)
- Ninemile 3&4–T59N, R6W, Sec22 (84 acres)
- Kosmo 1, 3, 4, 6-10, 12-17–T59N & 60N, R5W, Sec3, 9, 21, 23-24, 26-27 & 33 (645 acres)
- Tail 3, 4 & 5–T61N, R4&5W, Sec19, 24 & 32 (36 acres)
- Frisk 6, 7, 10 & 12–T60N, R4W, Sec8-9 & 15-16 (221 acres)
- Breezy 2–T60N, R3W, Sec18 (8 acres)
- Babble 12 & 15–T61N, R3W, Sec2 (77 acres)
Burn Preparation Information
Site-specific burn plans are developed for each prescribed burn. Burn plans must be developed according to national standards.
During the planning phase, specialists conduct resource surveys to identify areas with cultural or natural resources that could be affected and need to be protected during burns. The burn plan includes measures to protect sensitive resources including threatened, endangered, or sensitive species.
For example, if an eagle’s nest is present near or within a prescribed fire area, vegetation may be cleared around the nest and sprinkler systems may be set up to protect the nest.
Specialists also evaluate fuel characteristics, topography, the location of buildings, and ways to mitigate undesirable impacts such as smoke. Ideal weather conditions are also identified. A step-by-step plan to light the fire and then hold the control line by reinforcing it with, for instance, water from hose lines or water dropped from helicopters. Burn plans are finalized with reviews from other resource specialists and line officers.
Part of the preparation for a prescribed burn may include
- clearing control lines,
- establishing helispots (temporary landing places for helicopters),
- and scheduling back-up crews and equipment.
Public notification and coordination with other agencies is also part of preparation.
Prescribed burns are usually ignited by either hand crews on the ground with drip torches or explosives or by air with a helicopter or airplane or a combination of these methods.
Following ignition, fire crews monitor the progress of the burn, patrol to observe behavior of the fire and take actions, when needed, to make sure that the fire stays within the predetermined unit boundaries.
After the unit has burned, fire crews mop-up (put out hot spots) and patrol the area to make sure the fire is out.
Prescribed Fire Plans identify weather and fuel conditions appropriate for conducting prescribed fire. These conditions are a balance of the fire behavior need to meet objectives and the ability for holding resources to control the fire. Fire behavior modeling programs are used to identify the weather and fuel conditions that produce the fire behavior necessary to meet those conditions. Weather and fuel parameters that are given additional consideration include:
- Wind: In the boreal forest systems most large fires are a result of high wind conditions. Eye level wind speeds in excess of 25 miles per hour have been found to be problematic at times. Therefore, when planning a prescribed burn wind conditions are continually monitored.
- Drought: The other variable that has been present during large fire events in boreal system is dry fuel conditions. Prolonged lack of moisture produces drought conditions which results in dry fuel conditions. Drought codes are monitored to ensure fuel conditions are not too dry. For more information on drought indices visit the NOAA website. The Canadian Fire Behavior Prediction System is used to monitor drought conditions on the Superior National Forest.
There are a limited number of days each year that meet the conditions appropriate to conduct prescribed burning. On a give year there are 10-20 days which prescribed fire can be conducted.
Typically, prescribed fire conditions are most appropriate in early spring and fall.
In early spring, fuel conditions are drier because vegetation is coming out of dormancy. Once green-up occurs, vegetation is at full water content and holds moistures making it difficult to burn.
In the fall, vegetation is beginning to go into dormancy and water content is beginning to drop off. Also in the fall time, the shorter days create condition which do not support high intensity fire or prolonged burning which can be problematic from a control stand point.
The following list summarizes the steps taken to keep the public informed of planned prescribed burns in the BWCAW. Most of these steps are followed for all prescribed burns.
- Burn Plan: Site-specific public notifications are identified for each prescribed burn unit during the preparation of the burn plan.
- Yearly: A summary and map of planned prescribed burns is prepared annually. The summary and map are posted on the Superior National Forest website, and provided via a network that includes Forest Service personnel, Reserve America, cooperators, other businesses, partner agencies, media, private organizations, community contacts, and the tourism industry. Meetings are held with residents, businesses, and organizations in advance of prescribed burns to present information and answer questions.
- Week Prior to Burning: Advisories will be posted via the notification network, in campgrounds, entry points and at all permitting offices.
- 1-2 Days Prior to Burning: local residents, business, and cooperators are notified.
- During a Prescribed Burn: Updates will be provided to the public as available.
Sign Up for Prescribed Fire Notifications
Use our Keep In Touch form to sign up for email notifications of prescribed fires and other forest information.