Officials say conditions ripe for wildfire

June 6, 2006

By MARY AMES

Frontiersman

MAT-SU - Every day during fire season, staff at the Division of Forestry look carefully at the weather forecast, evaluate the indicators of fire danger, post fire conditions for the public, and prepare for the worst.

But everyone in the Valley plays a part in fire safety.

&#8220What the public has to do is pay attention and be aware,” said Tom Greiling, Mat-Su fire prevention officer. &#8220If you are walking in the woods and the forest floor is crunching under your feet, grab a handful of material and see how far down you have to go before you find moist soil.”

The lack of rain in the Mat-Su Valley, combined with the ever-present wind, dries fuels such as grass, leaf litter, spruce needles and the top covering of the forest floor - the duff - quickly, Greiling said.

Record-setting hot weather combined with high winds to bring a suspension of burn permits over Memorial Day weekend, and still the fires roared to life. As of Monday morning, 59 fires burned 597.9 acres in the Valley, most of them started by humans being careless, especially with burn barrels.

&#8220Burn barrels cause a lot of damage in the Valley every year,” Greiling said. &#8220People light 'em and leave, as if they think the barrel will take care of itself.”

Greiling and other fire prevention officers are doing everything they can to educate Valley residents to increase the likelihood that their homes and communities will survive, he said.

Unlike the vast areas of the Interior that burn all summer, the Valley has no &#8220let burn” areas.

&#8220It's all critical protection zones,” he said. &#8220Even in the outlying areas, fires threaten human safety.”

The Division of Forestry gears up from about 10 or so employees during the winter to anywhere from 40 to a couple hundred during fire season, he said.

That preparation was why the hot temperatures and high winds didn't cause the same devastation seen 10 years ago.

&#8220We had the crews, tankers and helicopters ready because of the Millers Reach experience,” said John See, regional fire management officer. &#8220With that wind, the fire could have run six miles.”

The brief respite of cooler weather and rain that allowed firefighters to get the fires doused didn't last. While the temperatures have moderated, the wind remained, depleting moisture.

Although the burn suppression has been lifted, fire danger is high and nudging toward very high because of the continued dry trend. The burn suppression may go back into play.

Normal summer convective activity - the build up of cumulus clouds and passing showers in the afternoon - can make wildfire prevention even more of a challenge.

&#8220Someone from Eagle River, where they had an inch of rain, may think having a campfire in Willow is OK,” Greiling said. &#8220But if they haven't gotten the rain, it's not.”

It takes a half-inch of rain to penetrate the forest canopy and wet the ground beneath, said Greiling.

&#8220Next time it rains, check under your favorite spruce tree and see how dry things are,” he said.

Contact Mary Ames at

352-2284 or mary.ames@

frontiersman.com.