Low winter moisture fuels wildfire danger
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BY ALGIS J. LAUKAITIS / Lincoln Journal Star
Forestry officials are preparing for what could be another bad wildfire season this summer in western Nebraska and other parts of the West.
The drought-stricken region didn’t get a lot of snow or rain over the winter and trees and grasses are dry, said Don Westover, fire program leader for the Nebraska Forest Service in Lincoln.
“We’re in something like the eighth year of the drought, and the forecast (for this summer) is for warmer than average temperatures and less-than-normal precipitation,” Westover said.
Last year was the second-worst wildfire year in Nebraska, since record-keeping began in 1975, Westover said. Statewide, about 120,000 acres were burned by wildfires.
The worst year was 2000, when the state lost about 250,000 acres to wildfires, he said.
Six separate wildfires occurred in the state’s Panhandle region near Harrison and Chadron last July and August. There also was a major wildfire that threatened Valentine in June.
Below-normal moisture over the winter has federal forestry officials worried about potential wildfires not only in western Nebraska but also nearby states.
“If the La Nina weather pattern plays out and if it brings warmer and drier conditions, predictions say we can experience a more intense fire season than last year,” said Jerry Schumacher, a spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service office in Chadron.
Nationwide, last year was the worst wildfire year since 2002, he said. However, no figures were available.
Insect damaged areas, especially in the Black Hills, could worsen the problem by creating large tracts of dead trees and fuel for wildfires.
The National Weather Service says the fire danger is currently low across western and north-central Nebraska and those conditions should continue into May. However, any period of above normal temperatures and lack of precipitation could quickly lead to an increase in fire danger.
“We’re coming into the two wettest months, May and June, but as soon as you get to July — bang —and things change drastically,” Westover said.
The Nebraska Forest Service is preparing for the possibility of a bad wildfire season by placing more equipment in areas where it is likely to be needed.
Westover said the agency is also cost-sharing with landowners who do have forests so they can thin out trees, thereby reducing the amount of fuel available for wildfires.
“Trees grow without a lot of management and they are too thick,” he said. “A fire in there is likely to become a crown fire and they are hard to suppress and they are very damaging.”
Over the last several years, the Nebraska Forest Service has spent about $1 million on the cost-share program, which has attracted nearly 100 landowners, Westover said. This year, they may get another $300,000 or more.
The U.S. Forest Service is also hosting fire refresher courses and training people who want to become qualified as firefighters, Schumacher said.
Most of the wildfires started last year were caused by lightning, Westover said, “but that doesn’t mean people should let their guard down.”
He and Schumacher urged landowners and others to be pro-active and clear areas on their property and around their homes of potential fuel — low-hanging branches and thick grasses.
“We don’t need people starting fires,” Westover said. “We need people to be very, very careful.”
Reach Algis J. Laukaitis at 402-473-7243 or alaukaitis@journalstar.com.
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