Over 1.2 million acres of pastureland were burned in the Flint Hills of Kansas and Oklahoma during the burn season that officially ended May 1.
This year’s total is almost 200,000 acres fewer than what was burned last year in a shorter period. Stats provided by Kansas Flint Hills Smoke Management show the 2022 total of 1.37 million acres was through mid-April, not early May — as was the case this year.
Across the KVOE listening area, the bulk of this burned acreage happened in Chase County (almost 239,000 acres), Wabaunsee County (over 196,000 acres) and Lyon County (over 115,000 acres). During the 2023 season, over 760,000 acres were burned in Lyon and surrounding counties. Last year’s area total through mid-April was almost 780,000 acres.
