Fire season is here

WAUPACA – This is the peak of fire season in Waupaca County and Jake Schroeder, a DNR forester at Hartman Creek State Park, is taking on the role of Smokey Bear: only you can prevent forest fires.
“People ask me in disbelief all the time, ‘Wisconsin has wildfires?’ Yes, we do! As a matter of fact, 98% of these fires are caused by people and can be easily prevented. When I’m out patrolling on a warm, dry, windy day, I’m also interacting with people in my community. Most of these conversations are spent educating the public about the simple things that can be done to easily prevent some of these unwanted human-caused wildfires,” said Schroeder.
For residents outside of the city limits, Schroeder suggest getting a burn permit. People can get a free annual burn permit online at the DNR website or by calling their hotline at 1-888-WIS-BURN (947-2876) from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and a burning permit will be sent to you. Once the burning permit is in hand, then the person must check the burn restrictions the day to torch the burn pile. This can be checked on the website or with the phone number. Those restrictions will state if burning is allowed, the burning hours and other limitations.