Letter: White River NF supervisor explains fire ban

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*Read: Colorado Western Slope firefighting resources stretched

Fire Restrictions and the Recreation Experience

By Scott Fitzwilliams

The wildland fire situation is serious with several large fires burning across Colorado.  Contributing factors for this include: low snowfall winter and a dryer that normal spring; an early fire season; and fire severity indicators that surpass the conditions we experienced in 2002, the year of the Coal Seam and Haymen Fires.

For example, moisture levels in forest fuels types are very low and both relative humidity (moisture in the air) and soil moisture are extremely low.  Fire severity indicators are at historic highs. The long term forecast shows continued hot and dry weather.  Because of the mountain pine beetle epidemic [and other factors, including decades of complete fire suppression], many areas of the forest have heavy fuel loads. (more…)

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