With wildfire danger up, hunters, campers should forego outdoor burning

By Mary Hightower
U of A System Division of Agriculture

LITTLE ROCK — With most of Arkansas at high risk of wildfires, state officials are asking the public to avoid outdoor burning.

On Thursday, the Arkansas wildfire map showed 64 counties at high risk, with 11 counties, all in northeastern Arkansas, at moderate risk. County judges have imposed burn bans in most of the high-risk counties.

Wildfire Danger & Burn Bans as of 10/21/2024 4:21 PM

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor’s Oct 21 map, almost two-thirds of the state’s 75 counties are experiencing moderate to extreme drought. The most intense drought is in five northwest Arkansas counties.

“This weekend kicks off the traditional gun deer season across Arkansas and many people will be traveling to deer camp,”  Jaret Rushing, extension forestry instructor for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, said Wednesday. “Deer camp usually consists of campfires, so it’s important that people keep in mind the danger.”

Among the outdoor burning activities to avoid include:

• Burning trash

• Open flame grilling

• Prescribed burns

• Campfires.

Sparks from lawn mower blades, trailer safety chains, hot exhaust pipes and driving on a flat tire can also start a wildfire.

Wildfire Danger & Burn Bans as of 10/21/2024 4:21 PM

Risk levels are determined by fuel conditions, drought status, and long-term weather forecasts. They are categorized by how easily fires can start and how hard they are to contain. The risk level definitions are:

Low: Fuels do not ignite easily. Weather conditions will lead to slow spread and relatively easy to control fires.

Moderate: Fire can start from accidental causes. May not become serious, but caution should be taken.

High: Fires ignite easily and spread quickly. Unattended brush fires and campfires are likely to escape. Fires may become serious if not attacked early.

Extreme: Fires start quickly, spread furiously, and burn intensely. Every fire started has the potential to become large. Expect extreme, erratic behavior.

The Arkansas Department of Agriculture, which oversees protection of more than 15 million acres of forestland in Arkansas, said that since Oct. 1, it has suppressed more than 100 wildfires on 1,116 acres. Since the beginning of the year, more than 700 wildfires have burned 15,000 acres in Arkansas.

The department urged anyone involved in outdoor activities to carry water and extinguish sparks from muzzleloader guns or machinery.

Jacob Hackman, extension forestry specialist for the Division of Agriculture, said starting a fire could be expensive.

"You may be liable for damages caused by an escaped forest fire,” he said.

To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on X and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on X at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on X at @AgInArk. 

Sims is here to help defend our forests

By Traci Rushing
U of A System Division of Agriculture – UAM College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources

MONTICELLO, Ark. — With Arkansas’ multibillion-dollar forestry industry to defend, forest health researcher Laura Sims has been named director of the recently announced $16.8 million Arkansas Forest Health Research Center based at the University of Arkansas at Monticello.

Sims comes to the College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources at UAM as an associate professor with more than 15 years of experience in botany and plant pathology research and teaching, holding degrees from North Carolina State University and Oregon State University. Throughout her academic career, she has engaged in extensive research projects relating to diseases in trees.

Her professional journey included time as a researcher at University of California, Berkeley, studying forest pathology and mycology. Most recently she served as an assistant professor of forest health at Louisiana Tech University with both teaching and research responsibilities.

“Throughout my academic and professional journey, I’ve worked on numerous projects focused on plant growth, forest health monitoring and developing best practices for managing plant pathogens,” Sims said.

FOREST FUNGI — Associate professor of forest health Laura Sims and Jacob Hackman, extension forestry specialist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, discuss fungi found on the forest floor during a site visit (U of A System Division of Agriculture photo by Traci Rushing)

In addition to joining the faculty at UAM, Sims is also joining the Arkansas Forest Resources Center as a researcher for the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station. The Arkansas Forest Resources Center conducts research and extension activities through the experiment station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s research and outreach arms.

Healthy trees, healthy economy

Arkansas’ forests contribute $6.5 billion per year to the state’s economy according to reports from the Arkansas Center for Forest Business at UAM, and they support wood products facilities, tourism, hunting and many other activities vital to the state’s economy and quality of life. Sims’ role will focus on protecting the state’s forestland resources through her research and by preparing the forestry and natural resources workforce to identify and mitigate forest health threats through her teaching.

“I am thrilled that Arkansas understands the importance of trees and wants to help keep the state’s forests healthy,” said Sims.

Michael Blazier, dean of the College of Forestry, Agriculture, and Natural Resources and director of the Arkansas Forest Resources Center, expressed confidence in the skills and experience Sims brings to both UAM and the Arkansas Forest Health Research Center.

“I know Dr. Sims to be very knowledgeable about a wide array of insects and diseases that affect forests of Arkansas and surrounding states,” Blazier said. “She’s energetic and enthusiastic about forest health and forest ecology research and teaching, and I’m excited about the leadership she’ll provide for the Arkansas Forest Health Research Center. This new research facility will be one of the top of its kind, and it’s great to have a faculty member of her caliber at its helm to help safeguard the forests of Arkansas.”

Sims is currently housed in the George H. Clippert Forest Resources Annex, where she is equipped with a lab to immediately begin research on forest pests. The university announced in early August that groundbreaking for the state-of-the-art forest health center will be in October. The vision for the Arkansas Forest Health Research Center and this new position comes from Blazier, with a goal to rapidly address current and future forest health threats.

Blazier said the new facility will include labs to support research on insects, disease and genetics to determine the nature of forest health threats and management actions to mitigate them. It will also have a conference center where the findings of this research will be incorporated into training events for natural resource professionals and forest landowners, benefitting stakeholders throughout the state.

About the College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources and the Arkansas Forest Resources Center

The College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources, and the Arkansas Forest Resources Center, a University of Arkansas System Center of Excellence, brings together interdisciplinary expertise through a partnership between the University of Arkansas at Monticello and the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. The College and Center are headquartered at the University of Arkansas at Monticello campus, but their programs range statewide with the mission of developing and delivering teaching, research, and extension programs that enhance and ensure the sustainability and productivity of forest-based natural resources and agricultural systems. Academic programs are delivered by the College of Forestry, Agriculture, and Natural Resources through the University of Arkansas at Monticello. Through the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, research is administered by the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, and extension and outreach activities are coordinated by the Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service.

The University of Arkansas at Monticello and the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offer all of their programs to all eligible persons without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and are Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employers.