Since January 1, 2011, Mark Twain National Forest has suppressed 110 fires which have burned more than 19,000 acres of National Forest and other land ownership.
Mark Twain National Forest's 10-year wild fire average is 5,000-6,000 acres per year. Wild fires range in size from less than an acre to several thousand acres. Average wild fire size is about 60 acres.
Most wildfires are contained within one day.
"Most wild fires on Mark Twain National Forest are human-caused," said Mark Twain National Forest Fire Management Officer Jody Eberly. "Arson and escaped debris burning are the primary causes; wild fires have also resulted from equipment use, trains, careless smoking, and escaped campfires. "
Lightning is a minor cause of Mark Twain National Forest wild fires, with only 1-2 fires per year, if any.
"We work closely with fire management personnel from Missouri Department of Conservation, National Park Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Rural and Volunteer Fire Departments, AmeriCorps St. Louis, and Mingo Job Corps Center to provide safe and effective wildfire suppression for the Forest and our neighbors," Eberly said.
Wild fires can occur any time of year, but there are two distinct fire seasons. Fall wild fire season runs from October 10 through December 10, when tree leaves fall and increase fuel on the ground. Spring fire season is usually more severe as March winds blow and relative humidity falls into the 20's and teens. It runs from February 15 through May 10.
"The Minninghaw wild fire on the Salem Ranger District, at almost 5,000 acres, is possibly the largest documented fire in Mark Twain history," Eberly said.
Mark Twain National Forest has about 80 wild land firefighters, 6 fire engines and 10 bulldozers as the forest's primary firefighting force. This includes 30 professional fire managers on the Forest, who are trained and experienced in wild land fire suppression. Mark Twain firefighters are dispatched to wildfires and other all-hazard incidents across the country, and have even assisted with international fire suppression and emergency incident response.
Mark Twain National Forest is the largest public land manager in Missouri with 1.5 million acres in 29 counties in southern and central Missouri. Mark Twain National Forest's mission is to continue to restore Missouri's great outdoors and maintain a healthy, working forest.
For more information about Mark Twain National Forest, visit http://www.fs.usda.gov/mtnf
