The official fall wildfire season doesn’t begin until the first of October, but dry conditions now can increase concern next month. Kentucky State Forester Brandon Howard said the weather service office this week alerted the Division of Forestry of abnormally dry conditions around Pine Mountain. And sometimes the highest risk of fire is not in the forest. Howard said agriculture-related fires are concerning.
“Those types of fires can burn very fast, they’re flashy fuels..grasses are flashy fuels if they’re cured right and then they can just go through a field pretty quick and so…and they’ll usually intersect a forest and then we’ll have to deal with a forest fire,” said Howard.
The larger threat of forest fires typically comes in October when dominant trees in the canopy drop their leaves. With that said, Howard said some trees will begin dropping leaves in September.
Howard noted little rainfall in September can heighten concern come October. The state forester added that can complicate firefighting
“But, if we’re into a month or two months of longer of time without significant precipitation then we have to dig down to the mineral soil to get through that organic layer because the fire will start burning deeper,” said Howard.
Howard said hurricane season can have an impact on fall wildfire season. He noted remnants of a hurricane last November virtually snuffed out forest fire activity. Howard added some members of Kentucky’s Division are assisting in fighting fires in Louisiana, California, and Washington State.
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