Burn ban issued for north Alabama

Thirty-three counties were placed under a Drought Emergency (No Burn) this week after the Alabama Forestry Commission declared that emergency drought conditions existed in those counties.

Clarke County is currently under a fire alert, with means the issuance of burn permits is restricted. Benji Elmore, area forester, said no burn permits have been issued in the county in the past week because of the severe drought conditions. "Unless we get significant rain, we may be placed under a burn ban later," Elmore said.

The counties under the ban make up the northern half of the state and include: Bibb, Blount, Calhoun, Chambers, Cherokee, Clay, Cleburne, Colbert, Coosa, Cullman, DeKalb, Etowah, Franklin, Fayette, Jackson, Jefferson, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Marshall, Marion, Morgan, Pickens, Randolph, Shelby, St. Clair, Talladega, Tallapoosa, Tuscaloosa, Walker, and Winston.

Under the emergency drought regulations, it is unlawful "for any person to set fire to any forest, grass, woods, wildlands or marshes, to build a campfire or bonfire, to discharge any type of fireworks except over water, or to burn trash or other material that may cause a forest, grass or woods fire until said declaration is lifted."

Organized commercial or municipal displays of fireworks may be authorized by the State Forester upon written request from the organization wishing to conduct the display. In considering whether to authorize such a display, the State Forester shall consult with the State Fire Marshall

The regulation was a result of a June 7, 2007 U.S. Drought Mitigation Center report that upgraded 20 counties in north Alabama from a D-3 to a D-4 level, which is the highest level on the drought scale. North Alabama is the only area in the nation with a rating this high.

According to officials with the Alabama Forestry Commission, prolonged drought conditions in this area have created an atmosphere where the probability of catastrophic fire activity is high. Already this month, 139 fires have occurred in Alabama burning 2,222 acres. Since the start of the state fiscal year, Alabama has had 4,474 fires for almost 60,700 acres. This is approximately 27,000 acres more than our annual average of 40,000.

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