Earlier this summer, nearly 40 foresters lost their jobs as a result of a $1.7 million budget shortfall for fiscal year 2017.
Foresters said southern West Virginia will feel the effects of that decision soon as the need for the 16 eliminated positions becomes obvious.
"This is pretty devastating for a small agency. We relied on each other," said Chris White, head of fire prevention and suppression for Region 2, which oversees the southern region of the state.
Region 2 has more than 4 million acres of forest land and a blaze can start anytime and anywhere, he said.
It's too early to make a solid prediction on what this forest fire season could be like. White said early indicators, though, show it could be a tough season, as it's been dry lately.
If the indicators are true, he said, the fire season, which starts Oct. 1, could be devastating on the forest.
White said his firefighting team was cut by nearly a third when the Division of Forestry reduced its staffing levels. Now, instead of 30 foresters qualified to fight fires, the number is down to around 10.
When the forest is dry, he said, it's not unusual to fight up to 20 fires daily. They are small fires but still require manpower. "You never send one man to fight a fire. For safety reasons you always send two or more," he said.
Region 2 covers 16 southern West Virginia counties, he said.
"Once we dry out, it's easy to have three fires in McDowell County, two in Wyoming, one in northwest Raleigh and two in Fayette," he said.
West Virginia is prone to forest fires, Division of Forestry statistics show. During the forest fire season last year, 648 blazes were battled, burning more than 16,740 acres of forest lands, the most acreage burned since 2010.
Chelsea Ruby, director of marketing and communications for the West Virginia Commerce Department, which overseas the Division of Forestry, said forestry service members are doing everything they can to maintain the necessary forest fire protection across the state. However, she continued, "Unfortunately, the reality we currently face is that the numbers of fires may exceed the number of personnel."
She said it may be possible to call for assistance from the Department of Corrections or the West Virginia National Guard, but neither of those options is ideal. Calling out the National Guard would incur a cost, and Corrections would send inexperienced inmates to fight the fires.
White agrees that having inmates and Natural Guard isn't an ideal solution. "You still have to have foresters there who know what they are doing, where to put the lines, how to read the maps," he said.
Besides, inmates can only work a limited number of hours, he explained.
The shortage is causing concern among the still employed foresters. When fires start, and White said there has never been a season without a forest fire, some firefighters will have to travel two-plus hours, fight the blaze for 12 to 14 hours, then turn around and go back home.
Next Monday, the effect the cuts will have on logging inspection.
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