The devastation serves as a reality check,” says Jacqueline Gewert, a 21-year-old psychology and biology student at the University of Georgia from Calabasas, California.
She is talking about the ravaging California wildfires she witnessed from a distance this past January. Gewert was already back in Athens on Jan. 7, 2025 when the Palisades fire got national attention.
Since the start of 2025, over 57,000 acres of southern California have been burned by wildfire.
While Georgia, where Gewert now lives, is not especially vulnerable to threats of wildfire, dry weather and the accumulation of forest fuels provide a suitable environment for wildfires to start.
“In the Southeast, our fire season is just opposite of the Western fires,” said Ken Parker, Wildfire Prevention Specialist with the Georgia Forestry Commission. The West Coast, including California, is more fire-prone in the summer, but Georgia’s wildfire season peaks in the winter when the humidity is low and the winds are high.
“I don’t think it’s something people talk about as much here because it’s not as widespread,” said Gewert, referring to the threat of wildfire in Georgia. “But it’s still happening and can affect many people, so I believe it’s important to stay aware of it.”
Georgia wildfires may not have reached the unprecedented scale of the recent California fires, but still have significant impacts when they do occur.
Why It’s Newsworthy: As Georgia faces its own wildfire season, it is essential to understand effective fire management practices that reduce wildfire risk.In 2016, Northeast Georgia experienced an extreme drought and lost 38,000 acres from two large wildfires. In 2017, the West Mims Fire at the Okefenokee Wildlife Refuge needed $7.75 million of post-disaster assistance and caused over $38 million of timber losses on private and industrial lands.
Most of Georgia’s forests are overcrowded. It’s a problem of fuel buildup, making it so thick that sunlight can’t penetrate, and most wildlife can’t find enough to eat,” Parker said.
The Georgia Forestry Commission has turned to one of its most effective tools: prescribed fire.
Prescribed Fire
Prescribed fire is a land management technique that intentionally sets fires under controlled conditions. In Northeast Georgia, that objective is usually managing fuel buildup.
The process involves setting fires in areas where vegetation is overgrown, preventing larger and more destructive wildfires. Prescribed fires also encourage healthy ecosystems and biodiversity.
Georgia is home to 24.8 million acres of forest, and about 45% of those acres are inhabited by the pine species. Longleaf pine forests in the state are fire-adapted and can withstand wildfires when managed through prescribed burning.
“Everybody sees all the trees, and they think it’s a healthy forest,” Parker said, “but most forests [in Georgia] are overcrowded, and so the fire can help reduce the number of undesirable species, [removing] the smaller trees, so that the larger trees have more nutrients and water. You can also, by prescribed fire, open up the ground to sunlight, which then allows more grasses and forbs for wildlife.”
Georgia burns approximately 1.4 million acres of land annually through prescribed fires, which are often scheduled between March and April, when conditions are most favorable.
Addressing Common Concerns
“Wildlife here has developed to deal with fire,” according to Parker. Many species in Georgia have evolved to either burrow underground, climb trees or leave the area when fires occur.
Georgia’s prescribed fire program operates under strict regulations and often faces opposition by groups concerned about air quality.
According to a study conducted by the National Library of Medicine, prescribed burns in Georgia contributed to at least 10% of the daily air quality standard for 130 days between the years of 2015 and 2020. On those 130 days, prescribed burns significantly impacted air quality.
The primary health concern during prescribed fires is the presence of small particles, which can cause symptoms such as burning eyes, headaches, and illnesses such as bronchitis.
Parker stresses that this smoke is far less problematic than the lingering haze caused by uncontrolled wildfires: “Prescribed fire gives smoke for a day or two, but wildfires leave smoke that can hang around for weeks or even months.”
The Georgia Environmental Protection Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources offers guidelines for safe practices on days when air quality is compromised.
Looking Forward
From California to Georgia, it is important to take proactive measures in wildfire prevention. Property owners play a crucial role, especially in creating a defensible space around their properties.
This means taking steps to clear the litter that builds up around a property over time. Even simple tasks such as clearing firewood stacks, cleaning roofs and trimming trees make a property more resilient to wildfire.
These preventive actions resonate deeply with Gewert, who has witnessed the growing frequency and intensity of wildfires in her own community.
“Especially in our area, college students have seen devastation from extreme weather and natural disasters like Hurricane Helene…I think it is applicable to understand the role these aspects are having on our country and that they’re real and that they’re here,” Gewert said.
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