A WARNING of the risk of forest fires at this time of year has been issued prior to National Tree Week, which starts tomorrow at 300 venues across the State, writes Seán Mac Connell, Agriculture Correspondent
Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture Mary Wallace said the highest fire risk occurred between February and June, when ground vegetation is dead and dry following winter. For this reason the danger can be extremely high, even when it has rained recently.
"The areas at highest risk from wildfire tend to be located adjacent to or within moorland areas. Dry periods and seasonal high winds in spring help create ideal conditions for wildfire to spread quickly through highly flammable moorland vegetation," she said .
She asked owners to check the fire breaks in their forest, insure their crop, plan how to fight a fire and be vigilant and have discussions with neighbours about the potential of forest fires.
She said it was an offence to burn, cut or destroy vegetation between March 1st and August 31st.
The tree week theme is Cuireann crainn uisce ar fáil don bheatha/Trees water life, stressing the interlinking of trees and water.