Above watch: New Brunswick residents are being reminded to be careful when it comes to lighting fires. Global’s Brion Robinson looks at why forests could be drier than normal.
MONCTON – The New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources says residents need to be mindful of forest fires, even as the winter’s heavy snowfall continues to melt.
Roger Collet, a fire prevention officer who works for the department, said Tuesday that fire can still spread across the wet forest floor, which are covered in dead grass.
“They will dry out because they’re not sucking up any of the moisture and so those could still burn even though the ground is moist when you walk through it,” he said.
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Campfires and outdoor burning have been banned across the province since Saturday.
The department’s website says grass fires need permits and written burn plans need to be inspected by a forest service officer.
Collet said southern New Brunswick typically sees fires sooner than in the north.
“The fires in the southern part of the province tend to start a little earlier than in the northern part due to the temperature being a little warmer down here and less snow generally on the ground,” he said.
The Moncton Fire Department says the forest floor could also be drier than normal for this time of the year.
Don McCabe, the department’s deputy chief, said a deep frost is keeping moisture from soaking in.
When the fires do catch they can be devastating — in May 2013, a forest fire destroyed properties and forced people from their homes in The Glades near Moncton.
They can also devastate the province’s forest industry.
Marcel Maillet of the South East New Brunswick Forest Products Marketing Board, which represents thousands of woodlot owners, said people need to be aware of the risks.
“It’s always a concern when things dry up,” he said. “This time of the year things dry quickly and until the leaves come out…if somebody’s not careful a fire could start.”
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