Guidelines for Safe Winter Burns
Before you burn:
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Winter burns should be conducted in areas with lots of snow cover and must be monitored the entire time.
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Ensure smoke warning signs are in place before burning within half a mile (800 m) from a roadway. For more information on smoke management and to acquire signs, contact your local municipality. If you are outside of a municipality, contact Alberta Transportation.
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Read over the Recommended Practices for placement and instruction of a “Smoke Ahead” sign.
While burning:
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Have someone monitoring the burn the entire time, if it escapes, immediately report it calling 310-FIRE (3473).
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Only burn what you can control with the equipment and people you have available, and adjust your burning according to weather conditions.
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Brush piles or debris windrows should be free of soil, built to a maximum height of 3 meters, and with a fireguard or cleared land around it to stop the spread of fire.
After you burn:
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Spread remaining material within the pile and soak with water as required.
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Check the burn area and ensure no heat or smoke remain.
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Go back and re-check your burn site multiple times in the following weeks to ensure no heat remains.
For further details, refer to guidelines on brush piles and windrows: safe burning practices.
Applications for the 2025 Wildfire Community Preparedness Day are now open.
The Wildfire Community Preparedness Day encourages communities to host events and projects to raise awareness of wildfire risks and improve resilience. The event is developed by the National Fire Protection Association and takes place from May to October.
Communities can apply for a $500 grant to help plan their FireSmart Preparedness Day event. The grant is offered in partnership with the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction (ICLR), Co-operators, and provincial and territorial wildfire agencies.
To apply for the grant, communities can:
- Think about a project that will help their neighborhood become more FireSmart
- Submit their application and project idea
- Use the Prep Day Toolkit for ideas for community projects and events
More information can be found here. Applications close on January 31, 2025.
TREE CUTTING PERMITS FOR PERSONAL USE
Personal Use Forest Products Permits (PUFPP) are for small-scale personal use only (no resale) for Christmas trees, firewood or transplants. These free permits are available online or in person at your nearest forestry office.
PUFPPs authorize Albertans to cut and removed timber from designated Crown land only. The area-specific PUFPP document must be with you at all times while cutting or transporting trees from Crown land.
Kelly Burke | Wildfire Information Officer
(780) 832-7235
- Alberta Wildfire
- Alberta Fire Bans
- FireSmart in Alberta
- Alberta Emergency Alerts
- Air Quality Health Index
- Wildfire Smoke and Your Health
- 511 Road Reports
- Emergency Preparation
Subscribe to the Grande Prairie Forest Area wildfire update to receive an email when new information is posted.
Phone: 1-866-394-3473