Wildfires have been raging intermittently since the beginning of the year in parts of the western United States, where the term “fire season” has lost all meaning. Since the beginning of the year, more than 33,000 wildfires have been reported across the U.S., burning nearly 2.2 million acres (890,000 hectares), according to the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC). That is far higher than the five-year average of 27,150 fires burning 583,000 acres (236,000 hectares) by this time of year. NIFC has listed much of the country at above-average risk for wildfires, with the greatest danger zones in the West and South, stretching from Alaska to Florida. Davis pointed out that while Texas and Oklahoma have so far experienced the most widespread damage, the entire South is a potential tinderbox.

News notes are courtesy of Southern Forests Network News Notes, May 5, 2006
www.southernsustainableforests.org