N RANCHING
atural Resources
Wildfi re danger increases with high winds, dry grass and low humidity. Texas A&M AgriLife Communications photo by Kay Ledbetter.
Prepare Now: Wildfi re Dangers Increase With Winds, Lack of Moisture
D
RY WINDS, HEAVY GRASS AND BRUSH GROWTH, AND NUMER- ous ignition sources should prompt homeowners
and landowners to take time now to prepare, before the fl ames of a wildfi re are at their back door. “Folks might want to get their lawn mowers out
and keep the dry grass around their homes short, and ranchers will need to check their water supplies and fi re suppression equipment,” said Dr. Ted McCollum, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension beef cattle specialist in Amarillo. Record rainfalls in 2015 boosted the growth of a
heavy fuel load going into the winter, much like the situation that occurred in March 2006, when an esti- mated 700,000 acres burned in 14 different grass fi res in the Panhandle. The Texas A&M Forest Service daily reports of fi res
throughout January came with either no fi res or only small fi res on most days, across the state. In Febru- ary, the numbers of fi res and the acreage grew as the
52 The Cattleman May 2016
grass and brush dried down and the winds picked up. Potter County had a 1,750-acre fi re on Feb. 1; Hall
County saw a 300-acre fi re a few days later. More re- cently, fi refi ghters fought fi re on almost 4,000 acres in Hartley County, 2,100 acres in Knox County and 330 acres in Montague County, according to the reports. Outdoor burn bans were implemented as the fore-
cast for fi re danger increases when the winds increase. The Panhandle, South Plains and Rolling Plains have seen moderate to extreme fi re danger depending on the expected daily wind and humidity. McCollum said the winds are expected to be high
across the High Plains in the coming weeks and the conditions are right for wildfi res to start with any igni- tion source; the primary one is motorists who throw their cigarettes out along the highway or drag chains that cause sparks. Those ranchers and landowners who border any roadway, in particular, need to be out tending the
thecattlemanmagazine.com
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