DNR adds 12 counties to burn restriction list

With warm and dry weather spreading across Minnesota, several counties have been added to the spring burn restriction list.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources said Monday that the following counties have been added to the restriction list: Becker, Clay, Douglas, Grant, Hubbard, Norman, Otter Tail, Pope, Stevens, Traverse, Wadena and Wilkin. Beltrami, Cass, Clearwater, Itasca, Kittson, Koochiching, Lake of the Woods, Mahnomen, Marshall, Pennington, Polk, Red Lake and Roseau counties were already on the list.

Burning permits for brush or yard waste won’t be issued in those counties until the restrictions are lifted, the DNR said.

Additionally, the following counties will have restricting burning starting on Wednesday: Anoka, Benton, Chisago, Hennepin, Isanti, Kanabec, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Ramsey, Sherburne, Stearns, Todd, Washington and Wright.

"Wildfire danger is especially high in April and May because we have dry conditions with no snow protection," Casey McCoy, DNR fire prevention supervisor, said. "Once the landscape ‘greens up’ fire danger goes down—but until then, restrictions reduce the potential for wildfires."

More information is available online.