West Virginia Division of Forestry Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Justice Declares State Of Emergency For Eastern Panhandle, Potomac Highlands Fires

Wildfires in several Eastern Panhandle and Potomac Highlands counties have burned through thousands of acres cumulatively. Emergency personnel are on the ground fighting the flames.

Updated on Thursday, March 21, 2024 at 4:15 p.m.

Gov. Jim Justice declared a state of emergency for Grant, Hampshire, Hardy and Pendleton counties over ongoing wildfires.

According to a Thursday press release, the emergency declaration will allow for resources and emergency response efforts to more swiftly reach those affected by the fires.

In a separate Thursday statement, U.S. Rep. Alex Mooney, R-W.Va-2, said he has reached out to officials in the affected counties to provide support.

“I applaud the brave firefighters on the front lines of these fires who are doing all they can to contain the fires,” he said. “I thank the crews from across the state that have made their way to the Eastern Panhandle to assist.”

Original Post: Wildfires Blaze Thousands Of Acres In Eastern Panhandle, Potomac Highlands

After days of strong winds and low humidity, wildfires have burned across thousands of acres in eastern West Virginia this week, according to estimates from the West Virginia Division of Forestry.

Assistant State Forester Linda Carnell said that emergency personnel are working to quell the fires, which grew from separate origins but likely spread due to current weather conditions.

Carnell said the wildfires have burned most intensely in Berkeley, Hardy, Hampshire, Morgan and Pendleton counties, marking the arrival of what she described as “spring fire season.”

From March 1 to May 31 each year, the state bans most forms of outdoor fires from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fluctuating temperatures, humidity and wind levels — hallmarks of spring — make it harder to control burns, and more likely that small fires will spread into something more dangerous.

Fire departments from all of the affected counties and several neighboring counties are currently in the field, working to put out the fires, Carnell said. More information on the total damage and the causes of the wildfires will surface once their work is complete.

So far, the fires have caused significant structural damage, and also burned through several areas of forest land, she said. “It’s been pretty devastating just within these few days, especially once you start losing structures.”

While the exact origins of each fire are not yet known, Carnell said there are several recurring causes of wildfires during the early spring, like a burn spreading uncontrollably or a tree branch falling onto a power line.

While emergency personnel respond to the current incidents, Carnell offered a simple piece of advice to residents across the state: “Refrain from any type of burning outside till we get significant precipitation.”

For more information on wildfire incidents in West Virginia, visit the Division of Forestry’s Fire Report webpage.

Rainfall Quells Major Fires Throughout W.Va.

Major decreases in active fires are largely due to the half inch of rain statewide. The National Weather Service said another quarter to half inch of rain is on the way.

Jeremy Jones, state forester, said the state is closing in on 100 percent containment with all fires.

“Thanks to the nice rain that pretty much covered the entire state today, or will cover as we get into this evening hours,” Jones said. “All of the fires in West Virginia that are under state jurisdiction are under control.”

There will be another dry weather pattern over the Thanksgiving holiday and through the weekend that could yield more smoke from the larger fires in the state like the Coal Fork Fire, the Left Fork of Long Bottom Creek Fire or the Steep Valley Fire.

“Some of those larger fires, folks may see some smoking coming off of them. But we will be back in there, monitoring them and making sure that they stay within our containment lines,” Jones said.

However, the over 11,000-acre Matts Creek Fire in Virginia could bring smoke to southern and central West Virginia through the weekend. The Matts Creek Fire is still only less than 33 percent contained.

“I think the whole eastern southeastern corner of the state got smoke from that large fire yesterday. Hopefully this rain eliminates that problem going forward,” Jones said.

Jones Appointed State Forester And Director

Jeremy Jones has been named state forester and director of the West Virginia Division of Forestry.

Gov. Jim Justice announced Monday that he had appointed Jones to the position. He will assume his duties immediately.

“I just wish him the very, very, very best, and I know he’ll do a terrific job,” Justice said during a weekly press briefing. “And Jeremy, just take over and do your thing. You know, you’ve already done all kinds of greatness in West Virginia, just keep on doing it.”

West Virginia’s Division of Forestry Director Tom Cover retired this year and is being replaced by Jones, a West Virginia native and graduate of West Virginia University.

Jones also has more than 20 years of experience with the West Virginia Division of Forestry, most recently serving as assistant state forester/fire for the division.

“I am honored to continue to serve the West Virginia Division of Forestry through this new role and thank Gov. Justice for this opportunity,” Jones said. “I am excited to lead the agency into the future.”

H. Tony Evans has been the Acting Director since Cover’s retirement. He now becomes the Deputy State Forester.

West Virginia Foresters Receive Funds For Fire Fighting Equipment

Gov. Jim Justice signed Senate Bill 1032 into law Monday at the West Virginia Division of Forestry Region 4 headquarters in Beckley. The law will provide $4 million for new forestry wildland firefighting equipment.

The department lost funding in 2019 when the West Virginia Legislature cut severance tax collection on state timber. Assistant State Forester Jeremy Jones said state of the art fire suppression gear will help counter an ever-growing wildfire danger.

“This historic investment will provide severely needed modernization to our wildfire program and our equipment,” Jones said.

Justice also announced that Forestry’s Region 4 headquarters will be renamed in honor of Cody Mullens, a young forestry employee who was killed by a falling tree while fighting a wildland fire earlier this year and worked out of that office.

W.Va. Division Of Forestry Worker Killed Fighting Brush Fire

A worker with the West Virginia Division of Forestry was killed Thursday while fighting a forest fire in Fayette County.

The forestry worker, 28-year-old Cody J. Mullens of Mt. Hope in Fayette County, died after a tree fell on him while fighting a fire near Montgomery.

Mullens was part of a response unit called to fight a brush fire along Route 61 in Armstrong Creek.

In a statement, Gov. Jim Justice called Mullen’s death a tragedy.

“Cathy and I are heartbroken by the tragic news of losing one of our own,” Justice said. “Our state foresters are some of the most dedicated workers in our state, putting their lives on the line to protect our communities from wildfires, and we owe them all, especially Cody, an enormous debt of gratitude.”

Think Safety With Fresh Cut Trees In Your Home

With the Christmas holiday season, many families love the tradition of selecting a free tree for their home. But that comes with some additional work and maintenance.

Eric Douglas spoke with West Virginia University Extension Service Forest Resources Specialist Dave McGill to find out what you and your family can do to safely enjoy your tree all season long.

Douglas: Where does the Christmas tree farming industry in West Virginia stand now?

McGill: Over time, the number of farms has decreased, but the state of the Christmas Tree Growers Association is actually strong. There’s always a great demand for these trees. And people will sell out of the trees that they have available. Even this year someone was calling about trying to get some wholesale trees. And there was just no one selling wholesale because they’re holding them for their “choose and cut” operations where people select the tree they want and cut it down themselves.

That’s the main thing. People are in this industry to make money, but there’s a huge intrinsic value in growing Christmas trees. There’s a lot of maintenance, there’s a lot of thinking about these products out there that take seven, eight, sometimes nine years to produce. But when families come in with their kids and buy these trees, the kids are wide-eyed and fascinated with looking around and using a saw to cut a tree down and bring it home and put it up.

Some of these growers have been around a long time, and then they see these children grow up and then bring their children.

Douglas: Let’s talk about those safety, the safety things or the safety aspects of bringing a live tree into your home. What do you need to know to enjoy the tree and keep your home safe?

McGill: So the first thing people think about with trees is fire, right? We see forests burn up all the time. We know trees burn and we know coniferous trees, these trees with resins that are so beautifully shaped, they burn well. But if you plan it right, you can guard against any kind of hazards like that.

One of the main things is don’t let fire or dryness get into your tree. Start out with a fresh tree, so that’s why choose and cut is so good, because you know how fresh it is. Sometimes you go there and the trees have been cut. During the active season, there’s a lot of turnover, so they cut some trees and bring them in. Maybe one will sit there a couple days, but even that would be okay, because of the temperature. It’s very cool, with a low loss of moisture right now. The other recommendation is always make a fresh cut on the bottom and to get some of those plugged up resin canals out of the way to get a flow of fluid of water from your stand, which you always want to keep filled with water up to keep it moist.

Douglas: Do you need to add anything to the water? Is it just water?

McGill: There are products you can get to add to the water. Some people swear by those. I have done both. If you keep it watered, and then keep really flammable materials away from it. You don’t want to put a whole bunch of paper decorations around the tree where it might make a ladder from some kind of heat source into the tree.

At the beginning, it really sucks up water and then as it gets older, it kind of sucks less water. By about that time, you probably want to get it out on the street.

Douglas: What’s the ideal time if you’re planning to bring in a fresh tree?

McGill: A lot depends on one of the things we didn’t talk about. Different species have different abilities to retain their needles — six weeks to seven weeks. You’ll want to have it outside because even though it’s kind of still okay, you know, the leaves will start to fall off. And you don’t want those all around the house.

Douglas: I guess the short version of that is any of (the trees) are good from now through the first of the year.

McGill: Yeah, a couple of weeks into the year, it’d be fine.

For more information on fresh Christmas trees, visit the West Virginia Division of Forestry’s website for their Christmas Tree Book.