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| Understory burning - Boteler Fire |
Most
people don’t associate large wildfires with the South because the typically
higher humidity and moisture of vegetation isn’t conducive to large fires.
Plus, the historical fire regime in much of the South is characterized by frequent,
low-severity fires that burn mainly in the forest understory and do not kill
the tree canopy. These types of fires are actually good for the forest and
wildlife.
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| Urban Interface - Boteler Fire Photo Credit: Brad Perkins |
Fire
season in the South is usually during the fall and early spring when the area tends
to be drier. Fire is not inherently
destructive to southern forest ecosystems. In fact, if implemented and managed
properly, low-intensity natural fires or prescribed burns can help maintain the
health and diversity of fire-adapted plant communities.
The
challenge with fire in the South is protecting our neighbors who have moved to
forested areas to “live in the beauty” southern forests provide. Because of
this, we must partner with homeowners to ensure they personally take steps to
protect their homes when “Living With Fire.”
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| Aerial View - Clear Creek Fire |
In
addition to this recent surge of large fires in the South, during the past
quarter-century several states that have experienced large fires, such as
Florida in 1998; North Carolina, Virginia and Tenessee in 2001; Texas in 2006; Georgia
in 2007; North Carolina in 2008; 2011 in Oklahoma and Texas; and of course the
six southern states who have been plagued by fires this fall.
The
number one cause of wildfires in the South is typically unintentional human
caused fires. These include escaped camp fires, disposal of wood ashes and
debris burning. In 2016, however, we have seen a pattern of suspicious fires
throughout the Appalachians. This is more challenging for firefighters because
the increased fire frequency stretches firefighting resources.
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