Prescribed burns set for WMAs, state park areas

Prescribed burns will begin this spring on some Nebraska Game and Parks Commission wildlife management areas, state parks and state recreation areas where weather allows.

Burning allows habitat managers to positively affect more acres. Those burns not completed this spring will be attempted this summer, fall or winter as weather allows.

Burned acres often become more attractive to wildlife species, and for some species, the effect is immediate. The long-term effects on wildlife habitat are much better if prescribed burning is used as a management tool than if habitat is not burned.

Historically, wildlife habitats were shaped by wildfires that occurred throughout the year. Burns help set back undesirable plants that invade native woodlands and prairies, as well as other grass and wooded areas. Eastern red cedar trees, honey locust, buckbrush, sumac, dogwood and other undesirable deciduous trees and shrubs can be managed with the help of burns. Prescribed burning is also routinely conducted in areas that have undergone tree thinning to further reduce fuel loads near park infrastructure or adjacent private residential areas.

Used in conjunction with grazing, prescribed burning also can set back smooth brome and Kentucky bluegrass, increase diversity in grasslands and improve habitat for wildlife.

With recent wildfires in Texas and Oklahoma top of mind, Nebraska Game and Parks staff want to issue the following reminders:

• A burn plan is always required, according to state statute. This plan includes guidelines to burn safely, including weather parameters, such as wind speed and relative humidity; the number of people needed to work the burn; required equipment; identified firebreaks on the landscape; and contingency plans. People who work prescribed burns are trained to do so.
• Prescribed fires are only conducted when an open burning permit has been issued from a local fire chief.
• Research has shown prescribed burns can reduce the intensity of wildfires by burning heavy fuel loads, such as stands of eastern red cedars, and that they can be done safety under the right weather conditions, with adequate staff and equipment.

Editor’s note: Updated Feb. 20, 2026, to include reminders.