State forester addresses burn ban decision amid Brunswick County drought
BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — North Carolina State Forester Greg Hicks says current drought conditions alone are not enough to justify a statewide burn ban, responding to questions following Brunswick County’s request for additional fire restrictions.
The statement, released Friday by the North Carolina Forest Service, comes days after Brunswick County officials said the state denied the county’s request for a state-issued burn ban despite ongoing drought conditions and the recent Quarry Road Fire.
According to Hicks, drought conditions and fire danger are measured using different criteria and should not be considered interchangeable.
The U.S. Drought Monitor, which is updated weekly, evaluates long-term conditions such as precipitation, soil moisture, groundwater, streamflows and water supplies. Fire danger, however, is assessed daily by the North Carolina Forest Service using the National Fire Danger Rating System, which considers weather conditions, fuel moisture and wildfire activity.
Hicks said while every county in North Carolina is currently experiencing some level of drought, fire danger across the state remains in the low to moderate range.
“State-issued burn bans are implemented during periods of hazardous forest fire conditions,” Hicks said in the statement. “Based on fire danger, those conditions are not present currently.”
Hicks also noted that the relatively low number of new wildfires in Brunswick County and across the state supports the decision not to issue a statewide burn ban.
Brunswick County’s local burn ban for unincorporated areas remains in effect. Under North Carolina law, counties can regulate certain types of open burning near occupied dwellings, while the North Carolina Forest Service has the authority to issue statewide burn bans and regulate permitted open burning beyond those limits.
