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. 

Division of Agriculture names Rushing as first extension forestry instructor

By Lon Tegels
U of A System Division of Agriculture

MONTICELLO, Ark. — The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture has named Jaret Rushing, a 16-year veteran of the Division’s Cooperative Extension Service, as its first extension forestry instructor.

FIRST OF HIS KIND — Jaret Rushing will provide forestry expertise and assistance for Arkansas forest landowners, county agents, forestry professionals and youth. Before this appointment, Rushing served as an extension agent for the Calhoun County Cooperative Extension Service office, most recently as staff chair. (Division of Agriculture photo.)

Rushing will provide forestry expertise and assistance for Arkansas forest landowners, county agents, forestry professionals and youth. Before this appointment, Rushing served as an extension agent for the Calhoun County Cooperative Extension Service office, most recently as staff chair.

“So now, instead of being confined to a county, I can do forestry programming across the entire state of Arkansas as well as with all other agents whenever they need help, do programs, demonstration work, and things of that nature,” Rushing said. He will now be part of the Arkansas Forest Resources Center, housed at the University of Arkansas at Monticello campus.

Rushing grew up in Sulphur Springs, Arkansas, graduating from Watson Chapel High School in nearby Pine Bluff. He later obtained bachelor’s and master’s degrees in forestry at the University of Arkansas at Monticello. 

“Once I got to UAM, I got heavily involved in timber sports activities,” Rushing said. “My small claim to fame is even to this day, I still hold the Southern Regional conclave record for knife throw, 12 out of 15.” 

Rushing and his wife, Traci, are proud parents of a nine-year-old son and six-year-old twin daughters. 

Rushing said his experience as a county agent guides his drive to help county agents with forestry issues statewide.

“Forestry is so vast, and it's also very seasonal,” he said. “I want to be somebody that at the drop of a hat can help the agents out. I can speak at events, and I can develop and program events. I can hold trainings here on campus or wherever in Arkansas.”  

Rushing said he is also eager to help landowners and youth as an extension forestry instructor.

“Extension programming starts blue-collar with the landowners, and I don't want to put them out of sight,” he said. 

Near the Camden area, the Division of Agriculture has a partnership with the owner of hundreds of acres of pine forest with a long history of management focused on wildlife habitat and timber production. This forest is a unique part of the Division’s Discovery Farm network, highlighting the ecological and hydrological benefits of sound management. 

Rushing is developing youth programs and demonstration projects focused on the Camden Discovery Farm. “Once we get those off the ground, I'll be aiding in those projects and programs,” he said. 

“The underlying motto of extension is our classroom is where we need it,” Rushing said. “I've done programs on the back of a truck's tailgate before. I’ve stood at a podium and talked to 300 people, so wherever I'm needed is where I'll go.”

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.

 About the Arkansas Center for Forest Business

Established in 2021, Arkansas Center for Forest Business is part of the University of Arkansas, College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources. The Center provides technical assistance for market-based solutions to forest resource challenges, programs for degree and post-baccalaureate education, and information on timber supply, forest products markets and operational efficiency.

Mission:

The Center for Forest Business will provide market-based economic solutions to forest resource issues, improving business practices for forest enterprises, and enhancing economic competitiveness.

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.