Hot, Dry Weather Leading to Increased Wildfire Activity

NASHVILLE – Officials with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture Division of Forestry are urging citizens to use caution and good sense when burning outdoors. 

“Many areas within the state are experiencing very hot and dry conditions on the ground,” said State Forester Steven Scott. “While open-air burning permits are not currently required to burn outdoors, extreme caution and conservative judgment should be used when conducting any outdoor burning.”

Typically, burning permits are not required by the state Division of Forestry except during official fire season, which runs Oct. 15 through May 15 each year. However, citizens should check for local restrictions or burn ordinances issued by county or municipal governments prior to conducting a burn.

Even under ideal weather conditions there are basic safety precautions to follow when burning outdoors:

 Select a proper location away from steep slopes, forested or dry, uncut grassy areas.
 Establish a control line around your fire, down to bare dirt, before you burn.
 Notify neighbors as a common courtesy.
 Have tools on hand such as a leaf rake and garden hose to control your fire.
 Watch for changing weather conditions as winds can blow your fire in the wrong direction.
 Stay with your fire until it is completely out. It is illegal to leave an open fire unattended.

Additional tips on safe debris burning, as well as up-to-date wildfire information, can be found on the Division of Forestry’s wildfire prevention website at www.BurnSafeTN.org. 

Since January, state Forestry Division officials have recorded 825 wildfires in Tennessee that burned more than 9,000 acres of forestland. Escaped debris burns account for 45 percent of the number of wildfires and for 28 percent of the acres burned. Arson fires account for 30 percent of the number of wildfires and for nearly 50 percent of the acres burned.

Woods arson is a class C felony punishable by three to 15 years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines. Anyone with information about suspected arson activity should call the state Fire Marshal’s Arson Hotline toll-free at 1-800-762-3017. 

Limiting open burning is also an important element to improving air quality, and there are items such as tires and rubber products, certain building materials and household trash that are illegal to burn at any time during the year. For more information on what may and may not be burned under Tennessee regulations, an online brochure is available at www.tdec.net/apc/pdf/OpenBurningBrochure.pdf.

For more information about other programs and services of the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, visit www.tn.gov/agriculture .