Has this year seen such a high number of prescribed burns in Arkansas?

Camden, Arkansas – Wildfires probably spring to mind when you think of California or Colorado, but they also harm us here in Arkansas.

According to the Department of Agriculture, even though there are more fires in the Natural State than in the western United States, we are far better at controlling them.

Simply put, our flames are not as big as those in the West. First of all, we find it far easier to put out our fires than they do. We are able to react a bit quicker than they can out there. We’re not nearly that far away from them. Emergency Services Director Robert Murphy said, “There’s a lot more people and a lot more access by roads and we can attack them usually a little faster.”

According to Murphy, the recommendation for a burn actually depends on the goal of the fire, be it site preparation or stopping the spread of a wildfire.

“After we spark the fire, what will be burning? Will it be as hot or not as hot? When we light it, how will the fire behave? When will we perform the burn? All of those things will be considered,” he explained.

However, one thing needs to be kept in mind at all times when doing these recommended burns.

Murphy continued, “Once we know the wind direction, it really limits the number of days that we can burn because we really have to pay attention to the wind direction if there is a smoke-sensitive target.”

In the future, Arkansans should anticipate seeing even more prescribed burns as the weather continues to change.

Every year, we break records. across the previous year, we burned a little over 400,000 acres across the state. For the past four to five years, that has increased annually,” he stated. “We anticipate setting a new record in calendar year 2024, having set one in 2023.”