With dry and windy conditions lately, the U.S. Forest Service is warning of wildfires in the Tongass National Forest.<\/p>\n
The USFS issued a warning to campers, hunters and forest residents Thursday. It details two local wildfire events in recent months.<\/p>\n
“We’re not under any closures,” said Forest Fire Management Officer Tristan Fluharty in a prepared statement, “But there are areas on the forest that are drier than normal and people need to use caution during windy conditions, especially where fire is concerned.”<\/p>\n
Wildfires aren’t common in a temperate rainforest like the Tongass but windy and dry conditions have already led to two small wildfires in the Juneau area this year. On April 3, a campfire at Berners Bay spread to nearby vegetation, the USFS wrote in a release, and spread quickly to organic material on the forest floor. In February, a Douglas landowner spread a wildfire<\/a> on about a half acre of private land after attempting to burn trash on a windy day.<\/p>\n The USFS is warning forest users not to leave fires unattended and to ensure fires are put out thoroughly before leaving a burn site.<\/p>\n