Fall 2006 Fire Season Ends

Virginia’s fall wildland fire season ended yesterday on a relatively quiet note – much like the entire 47-day period. Officials with the Virginia Department of Forestry responded to 42 fires that burned 563 acres – numbers that are in stark contrast to the 2006 spring fire season that saw 1,208 fires burn more than 12,847 acres across the Commonwealth.

“The wet weather this fall really made the difference,” said John Miller, VDOF’s director of resource protection. “Throughout the fall fire season, virtually all portions of Virginia received solid amounts of rainfall every few days. This helped reduce the threat of wildland fire.”

During the same period (October 15 – November 30) last year, the Commonwealth experienced 107 fires that burned 1,010 acres.

“While we are pleased that there were far fewer fires this fall than last fall, we are already looking ahead to make sure that we are ready for whatever comes our way next March and April,” Miller said. “All the leaves, twigs and branches that came down during the last few weeks will dry out over the winter and become fuel for wildland fires in the spring.”

Miller reminds everyone that just because the “official” fall fire season has ended, it doesn’t mean that wildland fires can’t still occur – they can. So continue to take great care anytime you use fire in or near Virginia’s woodlands. For more information, log on to www.dof.virginia.gov or www.firewisevirginia.org.

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The Virginia Department of Forestry protects and develops healthy, sustainable forest resources for Virginians. Headquartered in Charlottesville, there are Forestry staff members assigned to every county to provide service to citizens of the Commonwealth. VDOF is an equal opportunity provider.

With nearly 16 million acres of forest land and more than 248,000 Virginians employed in the forest products industry, Virginia forests provide more than $30 Billion annually in benefits to the Commonwealth.