Late winter and early spring in the West can be snowy and rainy one minute, sunny and 70 degrees the next. Seasonal shifts are everywhere: bright green new growth, the first wildflowers, birdsong and … periodic plumes of smoke?

Depending on where you live, spring can be an ideal time to light intentional, controlled fires. Land managers do this for many reasons: reducing vegetation that might spread wildfires or intensify subsequent blazes, cultivating fire-loving foods, restoring fire to landscapes whose ecology depends on it. Land-management agencies, tribes and nonprofits often take advantage of seasonal windows of moist, cool weather to safely burn wide swaths of forests and grasslands.

Read more in High Country News here.

The views and opinions expressed are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of C3.