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Take Fire Season Seriously
By
Carol L. Spence
LEXINGTON, Ky., (Aug. 22, 2007) – It’s been a very dry summer
and that doesn’t bode well for Kentucky’s approaching fall fire
season. Another year’s accumulation in forest floor fuels and
relatively low fuel moisture levels are creating an environment
for serious forest fires in the state’s woodlands this fall.
The fall fire season extends from Oct. 1 to Dec. 1. The last
time Kentucky had a seriously dangerous fire season was more
than five years ago. Forest floor fuels are now at dangerously
high levels and the long-range outlook doesn’t look promising
for dampening rains this fall.
“The long range outlooks for Kentucky continue the above normal
temperatures all the way through October,” said Tom Priddy,
University of Kentucky agricultural meteorologist. “The below
normal rainfall is in the outlook through the end of August and
then the September, October timeframe is calling for near normal
precipitation. However, that said, as we move into October,
we’re moving into our climatologically driest part of the year.”
“With the crispy conditions that we have right now, we are
looking at what could be an extremely serious fire season,” said
Gwen Holt, division communication officer for the Kentucky
Division of Forestry.
Nearly half of Kentucky is covered by forest and the state’s
forest industries add $6.4 billion a year to the state’s
economy. According to Doug McLaren, UK Cooperative Extension
forestry specialist, the economic impact from a wildfire blazing
through a stand of young trees can last “decades upon decades
upon decades.”
For that reason, fire season should be taken very seriously.
McLaren said 99 percent of Kentucky forest fires are started by
man, through arson, accidents or carelessness. He said sometimes
people get the wrong idea about how destructive a forest fire
can be in this area of the country.
Some who have seen an eastern wildfire on television news may
not think that it is as destructive as the raging infernos that
can ravage a western conifer forest. But McLaren said, because a
conifer has resin, wax and combustible chemicals in the leaves
12 months of the year, a fire can swiftly envelop a tree from
the ground to the crown, leaving only a charred landscape
behind. Live deciduous trees, on the other hand, don’t burn
because of the moisture in the leaves and the lack of flammable
chemicals. For that reason, Kentucky forest fires usually burn
along the ground, consuming the accumulated dead material on the
forest floor. The trouble arises because the fire, though not
killing the trees, creates an entrance for insects and diseases
at their base. Over time, the trees lose quality, which has an
economic impact on the timber industry in the state.
“When you drive along a highway and you see trees that are
green, you don’t recognize the fact that many of those trees
have extensive fire damage in them. That is the difference
between a west fire and an east fire. It’s also why some people
are not concerned about fires in Kentucky because ‘they leafed
out. What’s the problem?’” McLaren said.
The smaller the tree, more long-term damage is done. In this
part of the country, it takes 120 years for a tree to mature to
harvestable size. If the tree is young when it sustains an
injury, it has decades for the damage to accumulate, ultimately
making it useless as a timber source.
“I’ve seen beech trees that are 30, 40, 50 inches in diameter
and on the backside, people can literally walk into them and
stand up inside them, and the tree is still alive,” McLaren
said. “So loggers will say, even though this tree is 30 inches
in diameter, we’re not going to cut it down because there’s no
sound wood on the inside of this thing.”
Though the fall fire season doesn’t officially begin until Oct.
1, Kentucky woodlands are feeling the effects of the current
weather conditions. On Aug. 15 alone seven wildfires were
reported in the state. Holt said that is a high number of fires
for late summer, when the humidity and accumulated plant
moisture tend to keep fires at bay. But even with high humidity
levels over the past few weeks, the lack of rainfall is having a
major impact on woodlands. She warns people to be extremely
cautious when they are in or near a woodland setting.
“This year is similar to 1999, another severe drought year,” she
said. “We saw fires started by some unusual things, like train
emissions and sparks from equipment.”
McLaren emphasized people should be aware of outdoor burning
regulations. During spring and fall forest fire hazard seasons,
the Division of Forestry does not permit burning within 150 feet
of woodlands except between the hours of 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. when
humidity levels are at their highest. Holt said people should be
aware of air quality and waste management regulations before
conducting any outdoor burning. She recommended people not burn
unless absolutely necessary.
For more information about outdoor burning regulations, contact
the local extension office or visit the Kentucky Division of
Forestry’s Web site,
http://www.forestry.ky.gov.
Homeowners who live in or near woodlands can learn ways to
protect their property through the National Firewise Communities
Web site, http://firewise.org. |
Contact: Doug McLaren, 859-257-2703
Tom Priddy, 859-257-3000, ext. 245
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The UK College
of Agriculture, through its land-grant mission, reaches across
the commonwealth with teaching, research and extension
to enhance the lives of Kentuckians. |
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