Prescribed Fire Management

DFPC Fire Weather Dashboard

What Is Prescribed Fire?

Prescribed or Planned Fire is the use of fire to help restore health to fire-adapted areas. Fire experts do this under specified weather conditions. Prescribed burning reduces the catastrophic damage of wildfire on our lands and surrounding communities by:

• safely reducing excessive brush, shrubs, and trees
• encouraging the new growth of native vegetation
• maintaining the many plant and animal species whose habitats depend on periodic fire.

Prescribed fire is one of the most effective tools we have in preventing the outbreak and spread of wildfires. But prescribed fire is still fire. So, fire management experts carefully plan and execute prescribed fire.

DFPC's Role in Prescribed Fire

• Provides technical assistance in project design and planning
• Assists state and other agencies with implementation of Prescribed Fire

For more information, contact Kirk Will, Unit Chief, Prescribed Fire and Fuels Program at kirk.will@state.co.us

Resources

• 2025 Colorado Statewide Strategy for Prescribed Fire on Non-Federal Lands
• 2024 State of Colorado Prescribed Fire Guide
• Colorado Pile Construction Guide
• Pile Volume Calculator (download to edit)
• Colorado Certified Burner Handbook
• Prescribed Fire Go/No-Go Checklist
• Prescribed Fire Complexity Rating Checklist
• State of Colorado Prescribed Fire Plan Template
• Ignition Authorization
• Delegation of Authority
• Return of Delegation
• NWCG Prescribed Fire Summary and Final Complexity Worksheet
• Private Land Prescribed Fire Plan
• Local Jurisdiction & NGO Prescribed Fire Policy Requirements
• Colorado Air Pollution Control Division Open Burn/Slash Permit
• ICS Form 205, Incident Radio Communications Plan
• ICS Form 206, Medical Plan

Statutes and Rules

• C.R.S. 24-33.5-1217
• C.R.S. 24-33.5-1217.3
• C.R.S. 24-33.5-1217.5
• C.R.S. 24-33.5-1217.7
• DFPC Prescribed Fire Adopted Permanent Rules 8 CCR 1507-32
• Prescribed Burning in Colorado 8 CCR 1507-32 Rules

Certified Burner Program

Learn more about the Certified Burner Program