DNR urges everyone to help prevent wildfires during drought

According to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), drought conditions in Minnesota are increasing the wildfire risk in central Minnesota.

Hubbard County moved from a "moderate" drought to "severe" status, based on the latest DNR map released Thursday, Aug. 3.

The entire state is experiencing some level of drought. A few counties are abnormally dry, but the majority of the state is a combination of “moderate” and “severe” drought. A few smaller pockets in southeastern Minnesota are experiencing “extreme” drought.

Joe Kuhlmann is a forestry technician who works out of the Park Rapids DNR office.

“So far, we’ve been fortunate,” he said. “We’ve just had a few nuisance fires, small fires like a burn pile that spread, but nothing of size. We’ve been skating by with just enough rain to keep bigger fires at bay.”

He said “hot, windy and dry” is the worst combination of conditions where fire is concerned.

Burning permits are required in Hubbard County, with burning allowed from 8 p.m. to 6 p.m.

“With the Canada wildfire smoke, if the air quality index is high and there’s already a lot of smoke in the air, we shut off the permits though,” he said. “We get a lot of air masses coming down from Canada and that’s when we get the air quality alerts.”

Kuhlmann said, at present, campfires are permitted within a fire ring that can be no larger than three feet by three feet.

According to a recent DNR news release, several equipment-caused wildfires have occurred recently.

“Exhaust systems and motors can reach temperatures of more than 1,000 degrees during operation, and equipment can create sparks by hitting rocks or hard surfaces,” the news release explained. “Taking steps to maintain equipment and putting safety first will help reduce unintentional, equipment-caused wildfires.”

When working in the field, doing yard work, or using heavy machinery, operators should following these tips to help prevent wildfires:

Fire danger can change quickly. Check current conditions at mndnr.gov/burnrestrictions.The state’s drought conditions are updated at 8 a.m. each Thursday. View the most current map at https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/climate/journal/drought_monitor.html .