By Mike Surbrugg

msurbrugg@joplinglobe.com

NEOSHO, Mo. — Rural residents and landowners are being warned to prepare for a winter fire season that could be much more severe than normal.

Going into winter, there is an increased “fuel load” on the ground, said Gary Smith, Missouri Department of Conservation district forester in Neosho. The additional load is the result of damage from January’s severe ice storm.

An acre of Ozarks timber normally will have three to four tons of leaves and downed limbs on the ground, Smith said. The current load is 30 to 40 tons.

Smith said limbs will continue to fall for years. Broken limbs dangling in trees are called “hangers,” and as they dry, they fall. The extra tons of fuel on the forest floor may be around for five to six years, he said.

“I think we are going to have a worse fire season than normal ... because of all the fuel on the ground,” said Andy Nimmo, Redings Mill fire chief. “I think we’re going to have some bigger fires, and I think we’re going to be out longer.”

Once they start, the fires are expected to be difficult to extinguish.

“It’s going to be harder to shut it off because of all the debris down,” said David Beshears, Pineville fire chief. “We just hope it stays wet.”

While leaves disguised some of the damage during the spring and summer, they also aggravated the problem. A lot of limbs had cracks that were hidden until the weight of the leaves brought them to the ground or caused them to hang, Smith said.

Some of those “hangers” present another danger for landowners and others who are out in the timber. Smith advised wearing hard hats.

“One of the things I’ve been cautioning my guys on is, ‘Watch above you, because something could come down on you,’” Nimmo said.

Trees left with at least half of their crowns could see some recovery, but many of these will not live for the “long haul,” Smith said.

Ripped limbs also create exposed wounds, allowing insects and diseases to weaken trees and continue adding fuel to the forests, he said.

Even when it is not burning, debris on the ground is an obstacle for firefighters to pass through, Smith said.