Full Breakdown
Nebraska’s Prescribed Burns: Containing Wildfires and Sparking New Controversy
5/15/2026, 8:16:34 PM
Prescribed Burn Teams Contain Cottonwood Fire, Yet a Burn Escapes as Road 203 Wildfire
In March 2026 the fast-moving Cottonwood Fire swept through the Loess Canyons of Dawson, Lincoln and Frontier counties. Fire Chief Jason Schneider’s crew, aided by a local prescribed-burn group equipped with a drip torch, applied controlled-fire tactics that halted the blaze’s northward advance. By contrast, a prescribed burn conducted in the Bessey Ranger District of the Nebraska National Forest later ignited a spot fire when strong winds shifted, expanding into the Road 203 wildfire.
Historical and Environmental Context
Nebraska’s prairie ecosystems historically experienced frequent low-intensity fires that limited the spread of invasive eastern red cedar. Over the past 150 years fire suppression and the cedar’s expansion have increased fuel loads, especially as climate-driven droughts produce hotter, drier conditions. The 2026 wildfire season has already recorded roughly 981,500 acres burned, the state’s worst year on record.
Key Figures and Organizations
- Jason Schneider – Fire chief for the Cozad district.
- Ralph Moul – Keystone-Lemoyne Fire and Rescue chief, Sandhills specialist.
- Kent Pfeiffer – Program manager, Northern Prairies Land Trust.
- Dirac Twidwell – Rangeland and fire ecologist, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
- Becky Potmesil – Cattle rancher in the Sandhills.
- Austin Klemm – Board member of the burn group that assisted on the Cottonwood Fire.
- Tucker Thompson – Rancher and long-time participant in prescribed-burn groups.
- Governor Jim Pillen – Issued a statewide temporary halt on burn permits during the wildfire surge.
Data and Statistics
- Wildfires burned ~981,500 acres statewide by May 6 2026.
- Prescribed fires burned 92,700 acres between Jan 1 and Jun 30 2025, according to a survey of 26 organizations by the Nebraska Prescribed Fire Council.
- The Council reports 1.6 % of prescribed burns escaped and required external assistance; the U.S. Forest Service cites a 99.84 % success rate for its prescribed burns.
- Six landowners have invested $250,000–$275,000 in planning a burn that may be delayed by the current permit freeze.
- Tucker Thompson cleared roughly 400 acres of cedar on his property using a chainsaw after an early-2000s prescribed burn.
Official Statements and Responses
Schneider credited the prescribed-burn team with preventing further spread, noting that without their assistance the fire would have expanded significantly. Moul emphasized the need for snow or green grass before issuing permits in the Sandhills, warning against burns on red-flag days. Fire Chief Judd Stewart reported canceling nearly 50 permits in March after Governor Pillen ordered a temporary ban, arguing that the suspension overlooked lower-risk areas in southeast Nebraska.
Criticism and Opposition
Sandhills stakeholders, including Potmesil and Moul, argue that the region’s sparse fire breaks, high winds, and limited infrastructure make prescribed burns especially hazardous. Potmesil described such burns as “crazy” and “dangerous,” while Moul cited past escaped fires as evidence that permits should not be granted under adverse weather conditions.
Conflicting Reports and Gaps
The Forest Service’s 99.84 % success claim contrasts with the Nebraska Prescribed Fire Council’s 1.6 % escape rate, highlighting uncertainty about the true frequency of burn-related incidents. Additionally, long-term ecological outcomes of repeated burns in the Sandhills remain insufficiently documented.
Verbatim Quotes
- “You think you would have it put out, and you keep on moving north, and you’d look back south and it’s just going again behind you,” — Jason Schneider, Fire Chief
- “It would have burned a lot more if they hadn’t showed up and helped us get it stopped where we did,” — Jason Schneider, Fire Chief
- “The wildfires you’ve seen here in Nebraska the last few years are also a consequence of removing fire from the landscape,” — Kent Pfeiffer, Northern Prairies Land Trust
- “It’s time to innovate a bit more on the wildfire and prescribed fire side,” — Dirac Twidwell, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
- “Anybody who’d do a prescribed burn out here in the (western) Sandhills in western Nebraska is crazy, and it’s dangerous,” — Becky Potmesil, cattle rancher
- “But it was my experience when I worked with the state that we went to a lot of escaped fires because of prescribed burns that got away,” — Ralph Moul, Keystone-Lemoyne Fire Chief
What’s Next
Governor Pillen’s temporary ban remains in effect, delaying planned burns for several landowners. Fire chiefs are reviewing permit criteria to balance fuel-load reduction with weather-related risk. The Nebraska Prescribed Fire Council plans to expand outreach on fire-ecology benefits, while Sandhills officials continue to advocate for stricter controls on burns during red-flag conditions. Ongoing monitoring of both wildfire activity and prescribed-burn outcomes will shape policy decisions throughout the remainder of the 2026 fire season.
