timesnews — With more than two feet of snow on the ground in many portions of West Virginia, probably the last thing that comes to mind is the danger of forest fires. Nevertheless, the state’s spring forest fire season began Monday.
Division of Forestry assistant forester Ben Webster said forest fires aren’t expected to be an immediate problem because of the snow cover. But the winter storms that have brought the snow blanket also have caused downed trees and limbs. Those could be a problem as landowners burn the debris once the snow melts.
Last fall, about 5,000 acres across West Virginia forest land burned in forest fires. In prior years, acreage loss to fire was much higher than that.
The Division of Forestry urges landowners to use common sense when they do burn brush. Always be in sight of the fire, clear debris from around the area and keep a hose handy in case the fire gets out of control.
No outdoor burning is allowed from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. unless there is an inch of more of snow in the ground. In nearly all of the state, this is the case — and probably will be well into spring.
But once spring arrives and temperatures moderate, warm winds could rapidly melt snow and dry the forest ground. It is then when the fire danger could increase dramatically.
The spring fire season is not over officially until May 31.
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Forest fires
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As snow cover melts, danger increases
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