Fire
The Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests manage fire by both using prescribed fire as a land management tool and by supporting wildfire suppression efforts locally and nationally.
On the Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests, prescribed fire is used as a tool for ecological, resource management and as a tool to treat hazardous fuels in the wildland/urban interface in the spring and fall months.
When drier conditions move in, the forest fire management team will take extra precautions to patrol the forest, working with cooperating fire departments and law enforcement. As need for wildland firefighting resources increase across the nation, trained firefighting staff are dispatched around the country to assist.
The best wildfire defense is prevention. Vermont and New York are not known for their wildfires, however, wildfires can and do happen on the Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests. Most wildfires on the forests are from unattended campfires. Regardless of fire size, a wildfire takes resources to put out and monitor, often during a time of high demand on fire staff to assist on larger fires elsewhere.
To mitigate the risk of wildfires, visitors to the forests are encouraged to:
- Completely extinguish all campfires, both in established campsites and dispersed sites, as well as picnic areas. Fires should be doused with water and stirred to mix ashes and water until the ashes are cool enough to touch with the back of your hand. Remember, if it’s too hot to touch, it’s too hot to leave. This applies to ashes from charcoal grills as well.
- Never discard ashes from campfires, charcoal grills, woodstoves, or cigarettes on vegetation or organic soils.
- Refrain from smoking in areas with flammable vegetation or organic soils. Cigarette butts and ashes should never be discarded on forest regardless of location. If you packed it in, please pack it out.
- Do not drive off established forest roads or park on top of vegetation, as heat from mufflers and engines can ignite vegetation that touches them. Please consult the Forest Motor Vehicle Use Maps for designated routes.
- When operating chainsaws, generators, and power equipment ensure that you have required spark arrestors and supplies (shovel, water fire extinguishers) to deal with a fire if one should start.
- If you encounter a wildfire on forest, please dial 911 to report the fire and be prepared to give location of the fire and other pertinent information for first responders.
- During times of elevated fire danger or drought, please contact a local Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests office regarding potential fire restrictions.
YOU can help support wildfire fighting efforts by simply obeying local fire restrictions before burning.
Active Wildfires
InciWeb is an interagency all-risk incident information management system that serves to provide the public a single source of information about active fire incidents.
Air Quality
AirNow is a centralized source for air quality data, reported using the official U.S. Air Quality Index from locations all across the country.
New York Fire Danger Status
New York State Open Burning Regulations and Fire Danger Levels
Vermont Fire Danger Status
Vermont State Open Burning Regulations and Fire Danger Monitoring
Reporting Fires
To report a wildfire, call 911 immediately.
Wildland Fire Careers
The Forest Service employs approximately 10,000 personnel annually who serve in various positions within our wildland fire program. Positions include wildland firefighter, dispatcher, prevention technician, fuels management, and more.
Fire Prevention on the Green Mountain and Finger Lakes
“Only you can prevent wildfires!” – Smokey Bear’s message is important on the Green Mountain & Finger Lakes National Forests as most of the fires in the Northeast are human caused.
Fire Management on the Green Mountain and Finger Lakes
The Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests manage fire by both using prescribed fire as a land management tool and by supporting wildfire suppression efforts locally and nationally.