As you know, wildfire season began on March 1. This means you need a permit to do any burning (except have a campfire). Our patrolmen are back from their winter hibernation and are ready to visit your burn sites and provide FREE fire permits. Call you local ESRD office and we will be happy to connect you with your patrolman.
Winter is generally a good time to burn brush piles and windrows. But if the fire is not put out properly, it can smoulder underground and resurface as a wildfire. Please check your winter burns piles early in the Spring to make sure they are out.
We are paying close attention to the snow cover, melting rates and moisture levels this month. If we receive average precipitation it looks likely that we will be starting the fire season with moderate to high drought codes in our part of the Forest Protection Area. Let's be ready for the Spring wildfire hazard by checking winter burn sites now and getting back on track with FireSmart practices.
The current wildfire hazard is LOW. Your next update will be on March 24, unless conditions change before then.
For more information, please contact:
Leslie Lozinski
Forest Information Officer
leslie.lozinski@gov.ab.ca