Southwest Outlook

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PHOENIX (AP) - Ravaged by wildfires in recent years, the
Southwest could see a quieter fire season in 2005 because of rain
storms that have drenched the region this winter, according to a
government forecast.
The report predicted significant fire activity will not start
until May because trees, shrubs and grass are wetter than normal.
In a region haunted by an almost decade-long drought, some fire
seasons have started as early as February and lasted as late as
October. The normal fire season runs from May to mid-July.
The added moisture is good for the mountainous high country, but
bad for the desert. That is because the longer the moisture lingers
in desert areas, the taller and thicker vegetation will grow -
providing more fuel for brush fires later in the year.
The report, released Friday by the Southwest Coordination Center
in New Mexico, said lower and mid-elevations can expect to see
"normal to somewhat above normal activity consistent with wet
years of past."
"The high country won't be as significant a problem as it has
been in recent years, but the desert is going to burn," said Don
VanDriel, a fire manager for Tonto National Forest in eastern
Arizona.
Fire officials from Arizona and New Mexico met Monday to discuss
projections and begin preliminary resource planning, said Arizona
state Forester Kirk Rowdabaugh.
In the last few years, wildfires have destroyed hundreds of
homes in Arizona and cost millions of dollars to fight. The state's
largest wildfire occurred in 2002, burning 469,000 acres and
destroying 491 buildings in eastern Arizona.
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On the Net:
U.S. Drought Monitor: http://www.drought.unl.edu/dm/monitor.html
Southwest Coordination Center: http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/fire/

APTV 02-28-05 2036EST

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ALBUQUERQUE (AP) - A record-setting wet winter across New Mexico
has reduced the potential for large wildfires, especially in
high-elevation forests, according to a federal report.
The interagency Southwest Coordination Center said in a report
that the down side could be that moisture spurs the growth of
grasses, providing fuel for lower elevation fires in late May or
early June.
Overall, officials said conditions are far better than in recent
years when drought was a serious factor.
"Things look good down in this part of the world," Forest
Service Chief Dale Bosworth said during a recent visit to
Albuquerque.
The start of the fire season is likely to be delayed until May,
there should be no significant fires above 8,000 feet, and closures
in recreation areas are very unlikely, said Chuck Maxwell, fire
weather program manager at the coordinating center.
The Rio Grande bosque is likely to see a shorter and less severe
fire season, said Tony Delfin, acting deputy state forester and
district forester in Bernalillo. But the eastern plains, southwest
New Mexico and lower elevations in the central and northeastern
parts of the state could see large grass fires, he said.
Delfin and state Forester Butch Blazer said hot, dry, windy
weather can turn the tables.
"Sometimes things can change very dramatically," Blazer said.
"You do have fine fuels that are going to grow and cure out even
at the higher elevations."
He predicted a normal fire season. The Southwest Coordination
Center forecast predicted below-normal fire potential.
"The most likely scenario for the season is that
higher-elevation forested areas will see well below normal large
fire activity, with prolonged snow-melt leading to a short and
subdued season," the center said.
Dead pinons killed by beetle infestations over the last few
years will create pockets of increased fire potential but they
won't represent as great a threat as in the past, according to the
report.
Blazer added that the state and other agencies are taking
advantage of the wetter conditions to do more prescribed burns in
overgrown areas.

(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)