(The Center Square) – At least 114 of 626 fires starting since March 20 in North Carolina have come since a statewide ban started this past Saturday at 6 p.m., the North Carolina Forest Service says.
The agriculture commissioner says none starting since Sunday were the result of lightning or natural ignition. There is extreme drought in nearly 5% of the state and severe in another 65%, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
“The fact that we’ve had more than 100 new fire ignitions during a statewide ban on open burning should reinforce the sense of urgency that needs to be taken with this ban,” said sixth-term Republican Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “Not a single one of the wildfires that have started since Sunday, March 29, were the result of a lightning strike or natural ignition source. That leaves most, if not all, of these ignitions as being the result of human activity, reminding us that people are the best defense against wildfire.”
In the 30 days prior to the burn ban taking effect, more than 18,000 digital permits issued online were canceled. This means those issued in person, either by the Forest Service or local agents, are not included in the total.
“While burn bans reduce the number of wildfires, burn bans do not prevent them from happening,” Troxler said. “Careless debris burning continues to be the leading cause of wildfire in this state, and it is imperative that the public acknowledge responsibility through action by adhering to the burn ban.”
Agriculture and agribusiness are a $102 billion annual economic impact for the state, according to December figures. April is a prime planting season for corn, and late April to early May is the time for soybeans and cotton – though the state’s eastern farmers are often one to two weeks earlier.
Agriculture and agribusiness have been the state’s No. 1 industry forever. About 42,500 farms are operated on 8.1 million acres from Murphy to Manteo. The state is eighth in the nation in value of agricultural products sold, 14th in exports.
North Carolina production is No. 1 nationally each in sweetpotatoes, all tobacco, flue-cured tobacco, and poultry and eggs. The state is No. 2 in Christmas tree sales, production of turkeys, and food-size trout sold. It is No. 3 in cucumbers and hogs, No. 4 in peanuts and broilers (chicken), and No. 5 in cotton.
Two areas in the most recent update from the U.S. Drought Monitor had extreme drought designation. One was just east of Charlotte touching the counties of Mecklenburg, Cabarrus, Stanly, Union and Anson counties. The other is more northeastern around Rocky Mount, touching the counties of Edgecombe, Nash and Halifax and grazing Northampton and Martin.
The Coastal Plains, nearly parallel to Interstate 95, is mostly in a moderate phase. The bulk of Piedmont and Mountain regions are in severe drought.
