In the summer, land heated by the sun warms the air above it, which starts to rise. As it rises, it cools and can no longer carry the same amount of water it did when it was hot and humid at ground level.
The water condenses out into a puffy cumulus cloud on a warm summer afternoon, one of those, which you can make into animal shapes as you lie on the ground looking up. But, if there’s enough updraft, enough heat, and enough moisture, that puffy innocent cumulus cloud will continue to grow into a cumulonimbus – a thunderstorm.
Northeastern Minnesota has a lot of thunderstorms during a typical summer, and while we seldom have a tornado, we actually have more lightning strikes than other parts of the state.
Some of those lightning bolts will hit material dry enough to start a fire. Lightning-caused wildfires often smolder for days in the rain sodden forest with little activity, and then take off once the forest dries out enough.
The frequency of lightning corresponds to the number of wildfires, so this area historically had plenty of wildfires, and fire is a defining part of our local ecology. Fire created a forest mosaic with trees of differing species and ages in stands of differing size. It’s made the Superior a globally important bird area because there is such a wide range of habitat. Areas cleared by fire support bilberry, which in turn supports a rare butterfly species, the Northern Blue.
New growth in fire areas feeds snowshoe hares, which are then eaten by lynx. The new growth is also favored moose browse, and standing dead trees harbor insects which feed black backed woodpeckers and black bears. And, this time of year, those open sites are favored by us humans in search of the raw materials to make blueberry pie.
While fire may be important ecologically, there’s no doubt that it also can be a big problem for people. The people in our fire shop are dedicated to balancing the positive aspects of fire on the forest while minimizing the effects on people.
There are many ways in which they do this beyond the obvious one of wildland firefighting. Mechanical fuel reduction, or brush cutting, helps limit the intensity of potential fires. Prescription burning pre-empts a wildfire by burning an area during a time when weather conditions are favorable and crews are already in position. Site preparation burns in harvested areas create ground conditions similar to those after a wildfire which favor the growth of our native pines.
There is one thing, however, which our fire people can’t do. For 75 years, Smokey Bear has been saying that “Only you can prevent wildfires” and he’s right – it is only you who can do this.
A campfire on a hot windy dry day can easily escape, and it is up to you to evaluate the weather conditions and decide that maybe, tonight, you can do without s’mores and a campfire is just a bad idea. As much as we may try to advertise fire danger ratings or announce burning restrictions, it all comes down to you. You can’t control where lightning strikes, but you can decide whether or not to strike the match.
The dry hot dog days of August are coming upon us, so make good decisions regarding fire. It is Smokey’s birthday on August 9th, so give him the birthday present he wants most – and that isn’t a new shovel, it’s a forest without human-caused wildfire.
You can also join us on August 9th at our office to help celebrate the bear’s birthday and take a selfie with Smokey. There are also rumors of cake, but since he is a bear, maybe there will just be a big honey pot instead.
If you are out and about this week, log hauling is taking place along the same routes as they have been. Activity is beginning to slow though as summer progresses.
In Tofte, haulers are on the Dumbell River Road, Wanless Road, Lake County 705, the Four Mile Grade, the Grade, and Cook County 27 and 8. On the Gunflint District, look for trucks on the Lima Grade, South Brule Road, Greenwood Road, Firebox Road, Cascade River Road, Pike Lake Road, and Cook County 6 and 7.
There is also hauling across the Superior Hiking Trail southeast of Cook County 6. You’ll also want to know that culvert replacement on the Grade between Brule Lake Road (FR 324) and Bally Creek Road (FR 158) will cause delays up to 30 minutes.
Other sections of the Grade will follow, but exact locations and time aren’t known yet. It’s probably a good idea to avoid that area for a few more weeks.
Have a good summer in your national forest!
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