Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler sits down each week with Southern Farm Network’s Rhonda Garrison to discuss “Today’s Topic.”
The N.C. Forest Service recently launched a public awareness campaign aimed at reducing the number of wildfires in North Carolina that occur because of carelessness.
Commissioner Troxler tells Rhonda that careless burning of yard waste and other debris is the leading cause of preventable wildfires. Each year this activity accounts for more than 40 percent of all wildfires in the state.
Nearly 1,700 wildfires have been reported across the state since January. As of last week, investigations had been completed on 1,300 of those fires, and it was determined that 522 of them had been caused by careless burning of debris.
The campaign, which is paid for by a federal grant, consists of public service announcements in newspapers and on TV and radio stations across the state. The announcements began running in late April and will continue through mid-May.
People can take several steps to prevent starting a wildfire. Troxler says the No. 1 thing is to use common sense.
Click below to listen to Commissioner Troxler and Rhonda talk about other tips for safe burning. For additional information about fire prevention, click here.
[Audio:http://info.ncagr.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/Troxler_5-8b.mp3 |titles=Today’s Topic for May 8]
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