ATLANTA, Ga. --
With spring and a greener landscape around the corner, state forestry officials are cutting back on burning to reduce the leaves and brush that can fuel wildfires.
State Forestry Commission district ranger Frank Sorrells says prescribed burns on tree plantations began around Christmas in South Georgia, and more than three thousand acres were burned around the Okefenokee Swamp last month.
Georgia's wildfire season typically runs from February to May. Sorrells says that though the southeastern part of the state has gotten more rain, the prolonged drought has made the area vulnerable for wildfires.
Below-normal rainfall is expected over the next two months. Sorrells says the main cause of wildfires is people burning debris in their yards.
The commission is working to educate people about the dangers of wildfires, and urging residents to watch the weather -- especially the wind -- and to never leave a fire unattended.
People must also get burn permits and call the Georgia Forestry Commission before burning debris. Sorrells says that burn permits will be issued on a day-to-day basis, depending on the weather.
Wildfires burned for two months last year in south Georgia, charring more than 600-thousand acres of swamp and timberland -- and putting hundreds of residents in a state of flux as they fled their homes to live with relatives or in emergency shelters.
