Local Residents To Be Educated About Wildfire

A Wildfire Prevention Team will help Virginians in the southwestern part of the state by raising overall awareness of high wildfire danger and burning restrictions that exist on public and private lands. Team members will educate residents by visiting communities at risk for wildfire, making door-to-door contact with residents, and coordinating with local businesses, governments and fire departments.

State Forester Carl Garrison said, “The public is a very important partner in helping us reduce the number of wildfires by respecting federal, state and local restrictions, always using common sense, and by reporting suspicious activity that may be related to arson.”

During this year, more than 1,300 fires have burned more than 10,000 acres throughout Virginia. In southwest Virginia, escaped debris burning is a significant cause of wildfire, and more than 30 percent of wildfires in this area are due to arson.

The Wildfire Prevention Team is a regional effort supported by forestry agencies from Kentucky and Virginia.

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This and other news from the Virginia Department of Forestry or the George Washington and Jefferson national Forest can be found online at www.dof.virginia.gov or http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/gwj