When Do Maine Forest Service Fire Weather Reports Start

By Beak Hamilton, Chief Ranger, Maine Forest Service

Our forests don't accept major wildfires every year – in fact the average wildfire in Maine is normally less than one acre each twelvemonth. In 2019, for example, Maine had 355 wildfires, with a total of 142 acres burned (see graphic above). Beneath are other graphics and maps, produced by Special Operations Supervisor Joe Mints and Greg Miller, GIS Coordinator, that will tell you a lot about wildfires in Maine:

Chief Woods Ranger Nib Hamilton, left, and Special Operations Supervisor Joe Mints

Weather condition and fuel types assist, only we likewise have a professional and effective state Forest Protection Sectionalisation. Wildfires are attacked rapidly and kept small protecting all of Maine landowners. Additionally, I think that Maine's wood rangers practise play a role through prevention and suppression, it'due south not all about rainfall.

All the same, with 17.6 million acres of forestland we have had and will have major wildfires.

In 1947, the Country of Maine suffered its largest forest fire disaster in modern history. The state experienced more 90 consecutive days of record-breaking high temperatures and drought. By mid-Oct, many small wildfires started and spread out of control. Statewide, these fires burned more than than 220,000 acres and ane,000 homes, left two,500 people homeless and 16 dead. The amercement totaled more than 11 million dollars at that time. From October xiii to Oct 27, firefighters across the state fought about 200 Maine fires, consuming a quarter of a meg acres of forest, and wiping out nine entire towns, according to the New England Historical Social club.

Depending on your definition of a major wildfire, we have had several since 1947, including the Baxter Park fire in 1977, which burned nearly 4,000 acres; the Moxie burn, 2,000 acres (1997), Red Beck burn ane,500 acres (1990); Sunken Stream fire ane,600 acres (1985); Allagash burn down, 1,200 acres, (1992) and Columbia fire 800 acres in 2007. I'm certain that I have missed some.

I especially like the trend graph above, Land of Maine Wildland Fires 1903-2020, considering it illustrates that the number of wildfires have increased since 1903, but the acreage continues to compress. There is a lot of history in this graph and information technology tells an interesting story. One example is the spike beginning in the mid 1970s lasting through the early 1990s which overlays spruce/fir mortality caused by the last budworm outbreak. Our goal is to prevent wildfires through media, outreach, law enforcement and the Smokey program. When wildfires do happen, nosotros attack from the ground and with aircraft to keep fires small to protect Maine landowners.

Joe Mints likewise took a quick dive into the conditions stats since the 1947 fires and constitute that we take hit the same burning indices on a few occasions since 1947, merely there hasn't been a repeat of those catastrophic fires. If you compare the ii maps beneath of wildfires past cause from 2015-2019 and 2000-2019, you'll probably notice that in that location have been fewer wildfires in the past five years. Look at the 10- year totals over the past ii decades (to a higher place) and the trend becomes really articulate. The ten-year full from 2000 through 2009 was 5,795 fires, but from 2010-2019, in that location were simply 4,933 fires, a turn down of 16.six per centum. The drop in the full acres burned was even more than striking, dropping from nine,226 acres burned from 2000-2009, to 4,984 burned from 2010-20190, a refuse of a 47 percent.

There are many factors at piece of work in this trend, such as access, communications, manufacture prophylactic guards and stand composition. However, it is clear that the major and consistent deviation is our staff and the way they practice their jobs.