With drought throughout much of the U.S. West, the Forest Service will temporarily stop its use of prescribed burns and conduct a 90-day review of the practice, said Chief Randy Moore. The Forest Service has identified an escaped prescribed fire as the cause of the Hermits Peak Fire in New Mexico, reported the news and opinion site Wildfire Today.
In a statement, Moore said the “pause” in prescribed fires was a response to “the current extreme wildfire risk conditions in the field.” The review would cover “protocols, decision support tools and practices ahead of planned operations this fall.” The Forest Service conducts an average of 4,500 prescribed fires on 1.4 million acres of National Forest land annually, most of them during fall, winter and spring.
Four large wildfires have burned more than 525,000 acres in New Mexico this year, said public broadcaster KUNM-FM. The Associated Press said climate change and persistent drought were factors in the growing frequency and intensity of wildfires in the West.
“Prescribed burn operations are essential tools managers need to protect communities and first responders, improve forest conditions and reduce the threat of extreme fires,” said Moore.