We all know about Smokey Bear, the iconic mascot for wildfire prevention. But do you know about Torchy Timberloss?
He’s Wisconsin’s very own fire mascot who was recently brought out of retirement by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
The devilish flame dates to the 1950s and was created by Harry C. Allman, a draftsman at the then-Forest Protection Headquarters in Tomahawk, now the LeMay Forestry Center.
“Back in the day, Torchy was not one of the good guys,” says Catherine Koele, a wildfire prevention specialist with the DNR. “He was kind of the anti-Smokey [Bear] ... a menace who promoted ‘Fire is bad.’ And at the time, it made sense. It was the post-World War II era, the timber industry was booming, and a lot of our forces were fighting wars, not fighting fires. So fire prevention was critically important to save the timber history.”
But Koele says Torchy’s image has evolved over the years. Nowadays, he’s focused on spreading the message that not all fires are bad.
“His original name was Torchy Timberloss, and we'd like to see the ‘Timberloss’ reference go to the wayside,” Koele says. “Smokey Bear did a great job. Almost too good a job in some respects, because it did deter some of the good fire on the landscape over the last several decades.”
Wisconsin has a rich history of prescribed burns. For centuries, Indigenous people across the state have used fire for wildlife and land management, such as attracting game, reducing fuel sources for wildfires, and encouraging the growth of native plants and food sources.
“They are really the curators of the land that we see today,” says Michele Witecha, a prescribed fire specialist with the DNR.
But the impact of wildfire prevention mascots, like Smokey Bear and Torchy Timberloss, has been felt. “Perhaps to the point where we became very knee-jerk about fire totally,” Witecha says.
“In Wisconsin's forested areas, oak and pine are very fire-dependent species. And in the 80 to 100 years that we've been promoting full fire suppression, we are now missing whole generations of trees from that entire era,” Witecha adds. “That was one of the main drivers for removing the ‘Timberloss’ side of [Torchy’s name].”
Witecha and Koele both say that Torchy today still serves as an ambassador for preventing human-caused accidental fires, but he also shares the benefits of safe prescribed burning.
“We know that prescribed fire is incredibly crucial for maintaining healthy forests, keeping invasive species out and promoting regeneration of key tree species that we all depend on,” Witecha says. “So we’re really proud to have Torchy promote good fire in the forest.”
You can read more about Torchy in the Wisconsin Natural Resources Magazine Spring 2026 issue. You can also learn more about prescribed fires and wildfire prevention at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Forestry Division website.
Visit the Wisconsin DNR’s WisBURN tool to view current fire danger, DNR burn restrictions, wildfires and prescribed burns. And visit Fire Management Dashboards to see real-time and historic data on wildfires and prescribed fires in Wisconsin.
