April 11, 2003
Be careful!
I had the chance to preview a nice property north of Lake Vermilion today.
The owner of this 120 acre parcel had the mature trees selectively harvested a couple of years ago. And as the photo shows, there are now countless waist-high pines established to replace the old growth. A very nice sight. As I walked across this fledgling woods, the dryness of the ground cover was surprising. With the temperature in the high 50’s and a brisk breeze it would have been real easy for a flame to become a fire.
The DNR says the 5 month period from November 2002 through March 2003 is among the driest in Minnesota history. In fact, more than 82,000 acres have already burned in Minnesota this year! It looks like we will all need to pay extra attention to our outdoor fire use practices this year.
For the total up-to-date story go to the Wildfire Information Center.