Ideal conditions exist for wildfires, despite it being winter

    For the past week or so, a lack of moisture and warmer-than-usual temperatures has made it great to get out and enjoy the outdoors. Unfortunately, it’s also provided ideal conditions for wildfire.    

One hasn’t had to look far to find news about wildfires. Over a three-day span (Jan. 17-19), 86 wildfires burned 1,322 acres in Arkansas. At approximately the same period, wildfires scorched 1,600 acres in Oklahoma. When conditions exist like we have now, it’s hard to overemphasize fire danger.  Yesterday VA had 3 fires the largest being 10 acres in a cutover in Pittsylvania county.

That may run contrary to some people’s line of thinking. Most of us associate this time of year with snow and ice. However, if you look around now you see a lot of brown — not white. Combine the dry grass, dry weeds and dead leaves with the occasional downed tree branches that are residual debris of past weather events and you have a landscape that has an abundance of materials that are fuels for wildfire.

In addition to the abundance of dried fuel waiting for something to ignite it, relative humidity is another fire factor. Relatively humidity tends to be lower in winter than in summer, and when relative humidity is low, fuel items such as grass, weeds, etc. dry faster.    

You can’t add moisture to the dead and dry vegetation covering your landscape, but there are steps you can take to lessen wildfire danger and to help control a fire when one breaks out. For starters, if you live in a rural area, make sure your name and address is posted at your driveway entrance, particularly if you live at the end of a long drive. Make sure your road name is posted, too. There’s more to containing a wildfire than looking for smoke. Addresses and road names can provide valuable information to firefighters trying to direct other crews to primary flame locations.    

Also, stack firewood away from your house. Yes, that means you’ll have to carry from time to time, but it’s better than having a large load of combustible fuel sitting next to your house.

Clear leaves, fallen limbs and other woody debris away from all your structures for a distance of 30 feet. This also removes combustible fuel away from structures.    

Here’s the most obvious fire-control tip — don’t burn. While it’s true that burning brush is ingrained in our land-clearing philosophies, it should also be remembered there are other options. Piling limbs and brush into piles can create great habitat for a variety of wildlife species. Or you can use chippers (if you have access to one) to turn fallen branches of all sizes into mulch that can be used for various landscaping and gardening purposes.    

If after considering all options you’ve decided you still need to burn, be careful. Watch weather forecasts and avoid burning on dry, windy days, Have a water source, shovel and other fire-fighting tools handy.    

It should be noted that controlled burning is a beneficial land-management strategy used often in this area at this time of year, but there’s a huge difference between a wildfire and prescribed fire. Prescribed fire involves a great deal of planning and on-site management from the beginning of the fire to when the last hot coal is extinguished.

Before lighting a fire, you have objectives and a burn plan. Weather conditions are checked to make sure it’s the optimal time to have a fire you can control. Fire lines are established for the burn, and you have people to watch those lines throughout the burn. Prescribed fire takes time, thought and commitment to make sure you burn only what you want.    

This article is about wildfire — the kind of fire that is out of control. Fire-safety tips and information on burning alternatives are available at your nearest Virginia Department of Forestry office or at www.firewisevirginia.org or firewise.org.