Much of New Brunswick is still covered in snow so this year’s forest fire season is beginning on a quiet note.
Only extreme southern areas near the Bay of Fundy coastline have exposed areas of some concern.
Wildfire prevention officer Roger Collett says there is still lots of snow in the woods but open areas do dry out fast.
“You can have snow on the ground one day and it will be gone the next day and you’re able to have a fire within hours after the snow disappears,” he says.
Collett says conditions can become dangerous before the landscape greens up.
He adds dead grasses dry out fast and if it’s windy, it doesn’t take long for a fire to get out of control.
Conditions at the start of last year’s fire season were similar to this year.
But in 2016, snow melted earlier and the province was so dry, a burn ban had to be issued during the first week of the season.
