Downed limbs increase risk of wildfires in Mo.

ST. LOUIS -- Ten months after an ice storm knocked down tree limbs and branches around Missouri, much of the debris is still on the ground. And now that the limbs and branches have dried out, firefighters are worried about the potential for wildfires.

"I don't think when the ice storm hit in January that anyone realized how big a problem it had caused," Rich Stirts, fire chief of the Logan-Rogersville department in southwest Missouri, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch for Friday's edition. "It wasn't until this summer we started getting out in the woods that we realized the extent of the damage."

The Missouri Department of Conservation estimates there are about 34 tons of branches, limbs and leaves on the ground per acre in the state now -- roughly 10 times the normal amount.

The concern is particularly high in southwest Missouri because of the amount of downed trees from tornadoes in recent years, the Post-Dispatch reported.

"That's not going to change for three to five years, either," said Tim Stanton, the Conservation Department's regional forestry supervisor for southwest Missouri. "It will take at least that long for things to decompose. We're going to be living with this danger for a while."

The ice storm hit rural and urban areas, including St. Louis. But over the past 10 months, cities and towns have generally picked up the debris. The limbs, branches and leaves remain in rural areas without municipal service.

The fallen debris causes two problems. In addition to potentially fueling wildfires, it makes it more difficult for firefighters to find escape routes in heavily wooded areas. In some cases, bulldozers may be required.

"It may be a situation where we have to change our tactics," Stirts said. "Rather than going after a fire, we may have to let it come to us."

Firefighters also are concerned about the growth of new housing developments in rural areas, particularly around the Springfield area. As more people move to the country, firefighters say they're being called out to more fires caused by homeowners burning brush to clear their property.

Fire danger in Missouri typically is at its greatest during winter and early spring. Several thousand acres burn during a normal fire season, a blip on the radar when compared to the millions of acres that burn in the western U.S. each year.

The increased risk in southwest Missouri has prompted the U.S. Forest Service to award regional foresters a $300,000 grant to help educate landowners about what can be done to lessen wildfire hazards.

Among other things, homeowners are advised to remove dead trees and limbs and plant material around their property. But fire officials say you shouldn't set brush piles on fire. Better to use the woody debris as garden mulch or firewood.

Last year, escaped brush pile fires burned more than 17,000 acres in Missouri.