Raleigh, NC – his week the North Carolina Fire Service rated the state’s Piedmont, Sandhills, and Coastal Plains areas as “high risk” for fire. State fire officials say that persistent drought and dry air makes fire fuel, like twigs and pine needles, even drier. Adding wind to the mix means that conditions are right for fire to ignite and spread quickly.
Fire danger is a phrase that’s making waves this week … as seen in both images below which show predicted fire danger for Wednesday, Jan. 15 and Friday, Jan. 17, Western NC is looking better as expected. The Piedmont, Sandhills and Coastal Plain aren’t out of the woods just yet.
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— N.C. Forest Service (@ncforestservice) January 14, 2025
With California suffering from devastating wildfires this month, North Carolina’s long-term strategy on forestry management is coming into focus.
First in Forestry: North Carolina’s Forest Management is a Model for the Nation, a 2023 report commissioned by the John Locke Foundation. argues that controlled burns prevent fuel buildup, protect communities, and lessen the catastrophic impact of recurring wildfires.
While eastern states are less susceptible to wildfires than western states, they are certainly not completely immune. Wildfires in North Carolina can vary significantly each year in both number and extent. A dry summer, especially if it follows a wet spring, can increase the number of acres susceptible to burn.
One method that has proven highly effective in reducing fire hazards in forested areas is “prescribed burns” or “controlled burns.” State elected officials support this practice and have spoken about expanding it, according to the JLF report.
“Fire is a natural part of the environment and frequently occurs throughout North Carolina. Many of our forests require fire to remain healthy and thrive,” Philip Jackson, PIO for NC Forest Service, told the Carolina Journal. “Prescribed fire is the planned use of fire under predetermined weather and fuel parameters to obtain specific management objectives. It’s an important, and often low-cost forest management tool.”
North Carolina is one of 11 southeastern states with burn manager certification programs, and Florida is the state leading the nation in controlled burns.
“North Carolina’s proactive style of forest management, which allows for multiple uses of national and state forests, including regular spacing, thinning, harvesting, and prescribed burns, helps to maintain healthy and resilient forests,” Jason Hayes, author of the JLF report and director of energy and environmental policy at the Mackinac Center told the Carolina Journal.
State elected officials have given verbal reports that some areas had not been burned in more than a quarter century, according to the JLF report. US Forest Service representatives enthusiastically supported prescribed burns, saying they are the easiest option.
“Carefully and professionally applied prescribed fire reduces leaf litter and woody debris that fuels hard-to-control wildfires,” continued Jackson. “It also helps improve habitat for many wildlife species and it reduces competition from undesirable vegetation. Prescribed fire also mimics the benefits of naturally occurring fires by opening the forest canopy, allowing diverse plants to grow. One of the goals outlined in the North Carolina Forest Action Plan is to increase the beneficial use of prescribed fire while increasing the number of acres burned to benefit forest health, wildlife habitat, and reduce the hazards from potentially catastrophic wildfires.”
The USDA warns of the dangerous outcomes of responding to every fire incident in fire-adapted areas, according to the report. With some exceptions, we see an overall trend in the decline of fires that correlates to decreased acres burned between 2011 and 2021.
“North Carolina’s example contrasts sharply with California’s, where ill-informed energy and environmental policies limit active management and encourage overgrowth and fuel buildup,” concluded Hayes.“Wildfires can easily spring up to plague Californians when those conditions are found in areas with human habitations and infrastructure and are mixed with completely predictable weather conditions like recurring drought and strong Santa Ana winds. Active forest stewardship, like that practiced in North Carolina, not only safeguards ecosystems but also protects communities and reduces wildfire risks.”