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ORDER N0, c5^c6G
APPROVAL TD JOIN THE TEXAS FOREST SERVICE
BURN BRN PROGRAM
On this day the c3r•d day of March, 1998 ~.ipon motion made by
Commissioner Let z, seconded by Commissioner Baldwin, the Court
unanimously approved by a vote of 5-0-0, to .join the Texas
Forest Service Burn Ran Program in the state wide effort for•
fire prevention.
TEXAS FOREST SERVICE
d~ The Texas A&M University System
Forest fire Control Department P.O. Box 310
1409) 639-8100 FAX (4091 639-8110 Lufkin, Texas 75902-0310
Dear Judge:
March 4, 1998
Lazge areas of the state support heavy accumulations of grass and brush, thanks to
abundant precipitation received last year. Also, storms last month damaged and downed
trees across a wide path in East Texas and created extremely dangerous accumulations of
fuels. These fuels could pose a major wildfire threat during dry, windy weather. Given the
amount of vegetation present, any wildfires that arise will likely be more difficult and
dangerous to control and will have the potential for extensive damage to natural and man-
made resources.
Should we experience extended periods of fair, windy weather, the implementation of
county-wide bans on outdoor burning maybe advised as a wildfire prevention tool. As a way
to support counties in their fire prevention efforts and perhaps reduce the media response
load on county officials, the Texas Forest Service plans to incorporate a listing of counties
with outdoor burning bans in effect on its Internet home page. The availability of the bum
ban listing on the Internet will be publicized so that those with Internet access can obtain the
information without having to call each county for updates. This should cut down on the
number of calls to county offices and local fire departments. The Texas Forest Service will
update the Internet bum ban list at least weekly; more often as stafftime permits.
To have your county outdoor burn ban (when enacted) listed on our Internet site, just
fax the burn ban declazation to my office at 409-639-8110. We will need both the starting
and ending dates. If the ban ending date is open-ended, we need this information, too. We
will also need to be notified when county burn bans aze lifted, so we can update our list
accordingly.
The proposed county burn ban listing should prove beneficial to statewide fire
prevention efforts -- without a lot of extra work required at the county level. The listing will
complement our weekly wildfire danger report, which is also listed on the Internet. Our
Texas Forest Service home page address is: http://txforestservice.tamu.edu.
A limited supply of bum ban flags is available at this office. These can be flown at the
courthouse or local fire station to indicate a ban is in effect. Let us know if your county
would use one of these flags. Sample bum ban ordinances aze also available from this office.
If you have questions or comments, please contact me at the phone number or
address shown above.
Sincerely,
~. ~~
Bobby R. Young
Associate Director
Forest Resource Protection
The Forest Resource Agency of Texas An Equal Opportunity Employer