Today marks the beginning of wildfire season, in both Tennessee and Virginia.
In Tennessee, that means everyone in the state is required to get a burn permit before burning outdoors. In Virginia, that means people are cautioned about the potential for wildfires sparking off of outdoor fires.
Wildfire season starts in mid-October because that's about the time that things start drying out, said Nathan Waters, an assistant district forester for the Tennessee Department of Agriculture's Forestry Division.
"Typically, our driest time of year is in the winter and fall, and that's when people are burning," he said. "And the leaves fall and dry up and wind will get to the floor and push" the flames.
He said it is hard to predict how the season will go, because this year's weather was dry and then wet.
"We never are sure," he said, adding that there were quite a few fires over the course of the summer, when it was drier in parts of Tennessee.
National Weather Service estimates suggest this fire season might not be too bad, said David Gaffin, a meteorologist with the weather service in Morristown, Tenn.
"We've been doing pretty good on rainfall and it's been a wet autumn as well," he said. "The real critical time is when the leaves fall off the trees."
Leaves make good fuel for fires because they're light and flammable, and air can reach the forest floor due to their absence on trees. Water also evaporates faster at this time, and frost can dry things out even more, Waters said.
"Right at the end of October and early November, if it's dry during that time we could see some fires starting," Gaffin said. "But as long as it rains every three or four days it should be OK."
Waters said burn permits are required because it is an extra step to remind people to be careful, and it saves foresters and firefighters time, because they know when and where someone is supposed to be burning.
"Otherwise, people would be chasing fires all day," Waters said. "We get a report, we can look up the permit and call the person to double check."
Burn permits are available online at burnsafetn.org. They're needed now through May 15 throughout the state, but needed year-round in Bristol, Tenn. In Virginia, permits aren't needed, but open-air fires are prohibited in Bristol, Va.
Copyright 2012 - Bristol Herald Courier, Va.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
