‘The forest has changed’: Wildfire risk sparks concern despite recent rainfall
A firefighter watches a helicopter through the smoke as it drops water on a wildland fire in Castine on Aug. 6. Photo by John Boit.
By Tricia Thomas
Local firefighters remain concerned about the risk of wildfire after a dry summer, and expect the risk to continue this fall despite recent rainfall on the peninsula.
Southern Hancock County is listed as being in “extreme drought conditions,” according to the US Drought Monitor, which is a partnership of several government agencies, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA. That designation is one step away from the monitoring group’s most extreme threat level of “exceptional drought.”
According to the Maine Forest Service, there have been more than 525 fires in the state this year. Of those, more than 200 occurred in August, making the month the busiest in two decades. So far, the risk during September hasn’t waned much, with daily risk assessments ranging from “moderate” to “high” on most days.
“We haven’t had enough rain,” said Castine fire chief Randy Stearns in a recent telephone interview. “People think that, if it rained a couple of nights ago, it’s okay, but that’s not the case.”
Stearns, whose department was joined by mutual aid from numerous other towns, spent three days battling a forest fire off of Castine Road in early August, said that last year’s wildfire risk last year extended well into November. He expects the same this year, and said he’s seen an expansion of the risk further into the fall in recent years. Previously, summer was a time of high fire risk, with lower risks in fall. Now, Stearns said, the risk remains elevated nearly all year-round, with drier conditions, higher winds, more powerful storms and increasing numbers of downed trees adding to the threat.
“The forest has changed. There’s a lot of blow-down, and a lot of fuel for fires to burn,” Stearns said.
More than three acres of uninhabited woodland were charred in the August blaze, termed a “ground” fire because it was concentrated in the woodland’s underbrush, and not the treetops. Crews from several area fire departments helped to extinguish the fire, which was likely caused by a lightning strike, Stearns said.
Castine, like most area towns, is surrounded by forest. “We’ve got 192 acres of forest here around all of the houses,” Stearns said.
Penobscot fire chief James Clarke, whose volunteers assisted with a wildland fire in Hancock on Sept. 20 and then again, along with Blue Hill volunteers, with a small fire on Long Island in Blue Hill Bay on Sept. 21, was among the dozens of responders to the August fire in Castine. He said wildland fires can be difficult to fight because of their more remote locations, as well as the danger of fire remaining undetected underground.
“Some of them can be very difficult to get to, especially if they burn into the ground. What we call ‘floor litter’ or ‘leaf litter,’ which is decaying matter on the ground, can be from six inches to up to two or three feet in depth. A fire will burn down into that, and reignite days or even weeks later,” Clarke said. “Even if we think we have it completely out and it looks good on the thermal cameras, it can still reignite.”
Clarke also said that wildlands fires can require more manpower than structure fires.
“With a structure, it’s right there. You know where it is. With a forest fire, like in California, it can travel six miles by the end of the day. It has a higher rate of travel,” Clarke said.
Clarke added that dry conditions also can affect the level of lakes, ponds and streams that local departments routinely rely upon as reservoirs to fight fires. Tanker trucks and helicopters often fill up at these sources and transport the water to active fire scenes, he said. If the water level in a pond drops, or a stream runs dry, finding water can be a challenge.
“Sources tend to disappear, which makes it more difficult for us to get [water] resources. Helicopters, for example, need at least five feet of water to use the buckets underneath to get water,” he said. “That also can mean that you’re going farther and farther away to get the water you need.”
Blue Hill assistant fire chief Stefan Blanchard, a wildland firefighter certified by the National Wildfire Coordinating Group, recently met with a group of East Blue Hill residents to discuss how they can reduce the risk of wildfires on their properties. More than two dozen area residents attended the hour-long talk, which was sponsored by the East Blue Hill Public Library.
‘The forest has changed.’
—Castine Fire Chief Randy Stearns
Blanchard, who is called upon to fight wildfires across Maine, traveled to California last year to help contain a fire that consumed an estimated 40,000 acres in San Bernardino. Although large wildfires still are rare in Maine, and most are contained to an acre or less, they have occurred and are a future possibility, Blanchard said.
The “duff,” or organic matter on a forest floor that lies below leaf litter and above the mineral soil, is very dry this summer, Blanchard said.
“A three-acre fire in Maine is more significant than a three-acre fire in California, because we have a foot of duff, we have roots, we have all of this stuff burning down into the ground,” he said.
“Usually in Maine, we get wildfires that burn in fine fuels, such as leaves, grass and blueberries, in the spring and fall. Now, all of the heavy fuels have dried out. The big logs in the woods are drying out. The duff is drying out,” Blanchard said.
“That’s why we’re getting more of these bigger fires and these lightning strike fires,” he continued. “Even though it’s raining, we’re getting a lightning strike that burns into the ground for a couple of days before it pops out. In a normal summer, we don’t usually get that because the ground is saturated. But, this summer, because the heavy fuels are drier and the duff is drier, we’re getting more fires.
Blanchard provided residents with several tips for mitigating their wildfire risk, including removing pine needles and leaf litter from gutters, roofs and porches, and keeping such litter—and even mulch—away from the perimeter of homes and other structures.
“Leaves in the winter, leaves in the fall are a huge concern, particularly oak leaves because they dry out so quickly,” said Blue Hill fire chief John Chapman.
Dead trees should be removed, and new trees and bushes should not be planted close to structures. They also should be regularly pruned to remove any dead branches.
Wood piles, grills and fire pits also should not be located alongside homes, and a two-foot gravel barrier around perimeters of homes and other structures can help keep flames at bay, Blanchard said. Residents also can install screens over open gable vents to keep embers from traveling inside, and homeowners should keep their yards free of debris. Even a garden hose left out can conduct fire, he said.
“Flame contact [with your home] is the key word, and preventing it is what you want to do,” he said.
Stearns said that, while the Castine fire did help to increase awareness of the threat, more care is needed when starting or handling fires. According to the Maine Forest Service, the three prevailing causes of forest fires are campfires, open burning of trash, brush or debris, and equipment malfunctions.
The agency provides a daily risk assessment on its website, culled from reports from fire stations across the state, which can be emailed daily to those who sign up.
On September 20, the agency released a “special weather statement” from the National Weather Service regarding the elevated threat on that day.
“The National Weather Service has issued a Special Weather Statement for Elevated Fire Weather Danger and Fire Spread throughout much of Western, Northern, and Eastern Maine again today,” the statement read. “A very dry air mass over the area and breezy conditions will combine with dead and dry fuels such as grass, leaves, and twigs to create the potential for uncontrolled fire spread.”
As of Sept. 27, the Maine Forest Service fire danger map lists coastal Maine in the “low” category of fires, but bright, sunny conditions with temperatures in the 60s and 70s are forecasted for the next 10 days, with no rain in sight.
“The Maine Forest Service and fire departments across the state thank you for your continued diligence about fire danger. As a reminder, Maine law requires that you get a burn permit for any debris burning,” the agency stated. “It’s always good to check with local officials regarding any additional municipal regulations that may pertain to campfires or fireworks, especially during periods of elevated fire danger.”
“People need to be more careful,” Stearns said. “Everyone thinks. ‘This won’t happen in my back yard,’ but it can.”
