Wildfire Occurrence

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Wildfire occurrence in North Dakota is weather dependent, and highly variable from year to year. On average, our state experiences well over 722 wildfires that burn in excess of 37,828 acres annually. Fire season generally runs from April 1st through October 31st. Within the general fire season, there are three distinct peaks of fire activity. The first peak occurs during the spring before vegetation turns green. This tends to be a very critical time due to the fuel buildup from the previous growing season, drying winds, decreasing humidity, warmer temperatures, and increased human activity outdoors. The month of April accounts for twenty percent of the wildfire starts and over a third of the total acreage burned

The second peak in the fire season coincides with the increase in harvesting activities during mid to late summer. Temperatures remain hot, humidity is at its lowest, and precipitation has declined significantly. The third and final peak in fire season occurs between September 1st and October 31st when wildland fuels are fully cured out due to hard frosts, winds are frequent and high, humidity is low, and human activity remains high. Forty percent of the annual fire starts occur in this third peak, accounting for 50% of the annual burned acreage. This third fire season typically extends until a season-ending snowfall.

Since the 1998 fire season, North Dakota has experienced more fires than usual. The average size of fires and amount of acreage burned has increased. Extended weather outlooks call for a continuation of the current drought, so the trend towards more and larger fires will likely continue.

Nearly nine out of every ten wildfires in North Dakota are the result of humans and their activities. The single leading cause of wildfires is debris burning at 47%. This includes agricultural and other open land burning activities, ditch burning, and burning of household refuse.

Wildfire Causes in North Dakota.

Debris burning causes 47 percent of all Fires.

Equipment operation causes 12 percent of all fires.

Lightning causes 12 percent of all fires.

Miscellaneous human activities cause 22 percent of all fires.

All other causes amount to 7 percent of all fires.

Fire Occurrence in North Dakota 1997-2002

In 1997, N D reported about 800 fires that burned about 18,000 acres

In 1998, N D reported about 400 fires that burned about 10,000 acres

In 1999, N D reported about 1050 fires that burned about 160,000 acres

In 2000, N D reported about 1200 fires that burned about 85,000 acres

In 2001, N D reported about 1,400 fires that burned about 25,000 acres

In 2002, N D reported about 1150 fires that burned about 80,000 acres