Schuylkill County will be under a burn ban starting Friday while the state Game Commission plans to improve forest and wildlife habitat with a controlled fire in Rush Township.
The county commissioners approved Wednesday a 30-day burn ban for the entire county. The Schuylkill County Emergency Management Agency requested the ban at the recommendation of the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Scott Krater, county communications director, said 27 fire chiefs in the county expressed support for the ban due to dangerous fire conditions.
Krater said there were 23 calls for brush fires in March, with a majority of them coming within the last two weeks.
"It was pretty dry out there before all this," Krater said.
Typically, the highest number of brush fires occur in March and April, he said.
Under the ban, residents are forbidden from any outdoor burning of items such as garbage, leaves, grass, twigs, litter and paper. Grilling in proper containers is still permitted, but the ban forbids lighting fires in outdoor burn barrels or fire rings.
The county was under a burn ban about this time last year. Burn bans were also enacted in 2010, 2008, 2006, 2005 and 2002.
Pennsylvania law allows open burning of domestic refuse, which does not include items such as demolition waste, insulation, shingles, treated wood, paint, painted or stained objects, or furniture, tires, mattresses, box springs, metal, insulating coating on wire, televisions and appliances, automobiles, automotive parts, batteries, PVC products, waste oil and other petroleum products.
Residents should also check with their local municipality to ensure compliance with local burning ordinances.
The state Game Commission is planning to conduct controlled burns on several State Game Lands in the southeast portion of the state, including 70 acres in Rush Township.
"The problem is that in a number of these locations, the oak seedlings are being outcompeted by other tree species, such as birch, maple and tulip poplar," Dave Henry, Game Commission Southeast Region forester, said in a statement issued Tuesday. "The oak seedlings will eventually die out and be replaced, changing the composition of the forest. The loss of the oak seedlings is a problem because oak trees are extremely valuable to wildlife."
State Game Land 227 has 1,543 acres in Schuylkill County. It contains a wide variety of habitat and wildlife species. More than 90 percent of the land is forested with predominately oak mixture species.
An area of 70 acres in State Game Lands will be treated with a controlled burn since there is a problem with regenerating various oak species, such as scarlet, white and chestnut oak. In some areas, red maple seedlings and blueberry and huckleberry shrubs have created a thick layer of shade, preventing sunlight from hitting the forest floor and allowing the acorns to sprout.
By reducing competing species, the oak seedlings will grow and allow it to remain the dominant species in the forest. The controlled burn will follow all laws, standards and procedures of the Prescribed Burn Practices Act, as well as techniques learned from controlled burns on other State Game Lands.
"Controlled burns conducted in the spring provide the best opportunity for removing target trees and shrubs and provides safer burning conditions due to the amount of moisture in the ground," Henry said.
The exact date of the controlled burn depends on both site and weather conditions. A burn window is set between time periods when optimum conditions could be present. As more exact conditions become available, the window is narrowed.
At this point, the burn window is between April and October.
The Game Commission will announce when the burn window has been narrowed.
Also known as a prescribed fire, a controlled burn is different than a "wild fire" as safety is the main priority from the planning through the implementation. The entire operation is overseen by a "burn boss" with extensive training and experience.
"During the day of the controlled burn, access to the site will be restricted and only people directly associated with the burn will be allowed access at or near the site," Henry said. "Trained staff will be on hand with numerous pieces of fire equipment and water resources. All necessary local fire and emergency personnel will be notified in advance."
Before the controlled burn, a small, easily extinguished "test" fire will be conducted to judge the fire behavior and smoke dispersion patterns for the day. If the test fire burns within the pre-determined parameters, the controlled burn will be allowed to continue. If not, it will be called off for the day.
For more information about the specifics for each controlled burn, visit the Game Commission website at www.pgc.state.pa.us.
Controlled burns are also being scheduled for State Game Lands in Chester, Dauphin, York, Lancaster and Lebanaon counties.