MINNEAPOLIS — Editor's Note: The video above first aired in March 2022.
Warm temperatures and dry conditions across Minnesota are prompting restrictions on open burning in several counties, according to the Department of Natural Resources.
The DNR says 14 counties will be exempt from open burning of brush or yard waste until restrictions are lifted. The affected counties include Anoka, Benton, Chisago, Hennepin, Isanti, Kanabec, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Ramsey, Sherburne, Stearns, Todd, Washington and Wright.
“Wildfire risk increases each year after the snow melts and before grass greens up,” Allissa Reynolds, DNR wildfire prevention supervisor, said in a statement. “Spring burning restrictions help to reduce the number of wildfires, especially those caused by debris burning.”
According to the DNR, 90% of wildfires in Minnesota are caused by people. In the DNR's statement, Reynolds encouraged alternatives to burning yard waste, like composting or chipping.
For more information on how to help prevent wildfires or the latest updates on burning restrictions, visit the DNR's website.
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