Dry conditions across Minnesota have officials bracing for an early and active spring fire season.
The StarTribune has the story HERE.
Minnesota soil and plant moisture levels are currently very low, and the long-range forecast calls for continued dry conditions. The dearth of snow-cover across most of the state means the spring thaw likely won’t add much moisture to the mix. In light of the parched situation, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is already requiring burning permits in all but the northern quarter of the state.
Even in the north — where the largest Minnesota wildfire in a century raged across the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness last September — snow-cover is well below normal. Without timely snow or rain in the Superior National Forest, Kawishiwi District Forest District Ranger, Mark Van Every, predicts an early and active fire season.