Fire season comes early

In a normal year Alaska's fire season starts May 1. Today, 11 days after the start of the normal fire season, there have been roughly 1,200 burn permits issued in the Mat-Su area. This year is different. A mild winter with little accumulation of precipitation warranted the official start of the 2003 fire season 15 days early, on April 15.

Since April 15 there have been 71 fires in the Mat-Su area alone, with about 100 acres consumed, according to a report issued May 7, from the Division of Forestry State of Alaska Wildland update.

Alaska in all this fire season has had a combined number of 121 fires, with a total consumed acreage of 959.

Burning permits are required for all burning other than fires contained within an approved device, and fires used for signaling, cooking or warming.

According to the Alaska Division of Forestry 2003 burn permits will grant permission to burn one pile of debris four feet high with a diameter of 10 feet, or less than one acre of mowed lawn/field with grass four inches in length on permitted property.

The terms and conditions listed on the permit are as follows:

Construct a fire break 15 feet wide with mineral soil around material to be burned before lighting fire or, for lawns and fields, mow, rake and wet down outer 15 feet of perimeter.

Have a minimum of one adult in attendance at all times while burning.

Have sufficient water and tools on site to control the fire.

Burn only when winds are less than five miles an hour.

Fires must be completely extinguished before leaving.

Do not burn within 50 feet of structures or under power lines.

No burning is allowed of any substance that creates black smoke, toxic gases or odors that affect nearby people.

Permittee is required to activate this permit by phone or online each day before burning. Activation numbers and Web site information are listed on the permit.

One would hope that this was common sense.

"All of our fires are of human caused, and they are preventable, if they would practice a little more caution," said Lynn Wilcock of the Mat-Su division of Forestry.

This year Forestry added another easy way to research burn guidelines and information about the fire management programs at their Web site.

On the Web site you can apply for a burn permit and activate the permit on the days you wish to burn. The Web-based permit also has phone information about activating the permit and both phone and Web list burn conditions for the particular day of burning. Residents are also required to check and make sure their day of burning is declared a burn day. During times of extreme fire danger, the state Forester may close an area to burning. During these times no burning is allowed.

"The online helps," said Jan Balfe, administrative clerk for the division of Forestry.

Balfe explained that since the Web site started, two weeks ago, Forestry has received a number of burn permit applications.

"Sometimes I'll check and received as many as 50 at a time," Balfe added.

The area Mat-Su issuing agency telephone number is (907) 761-6300, or go to their Web site at www.dnr.ak.us/forestry. A lobby computer at the Palmer Forestry office also offers the online application process.