Cooperative Fire Program
There are no natural fire dependent ecosystems in the U.S. Caribbean, yet every year there are thousands of wildland fires. Most of them occur between January and April and are associated with the winter/spring dry season and in July associated with hot, dry air from the Sahara desert and a strong low level jet stream. The majority of fires are deliberately or inadvertently set by people without regard for the wind, weather, or air quality conditions.
The highest potential for fires occurs in dry forest ecosystems on coastal plains. Uncontrolled wildfires threaten forested and non-forested landscapes, grasslands, agricultural fields, pastures, and structures in the wildland urban interface. Fast moving grassland fires can engulf individuals working or hiking in the area and can serve as a fuel ladder to ignite forest canopies of shrubs and trees.
Caribbean Cohesive Wildfire Strategy
The National Cohesive Wildfire Strategy establishes a framework for wildland fire management throughout the United States. Within this framework State, Private and Tribal Forestry is working with partners to develop a five-year Caribbean-wide implementation strategy consistent with the following national goals:
- Restore and Maintain Landscapes: Landscapes across all jurisdictions are resilient to fire-related disturbances in accordance with management objectives.
- Fire-Adapted Human Communities: Human populations and infrastructure can withstand a wildfire without loss of life and property.
- Wildfire Response: All jurisdictions participate in making and implementing safe, effective, and efficient risk-based wildfire management decisions.
Fire Weather Services Increase Public Safety
Land and fire management agencies now have access to information on the potential for wildfires to start and environmental conditions that put life and property at risk. During the past few years, the National Weather Service in San Juan has been working in close collaboration with the Institute and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Caribbean Region to collect and analyze climatological fire weather data for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
This information is the backbone of criteria now used by the NWS to issue Fire Weather Watches, Red Flag Warnings and Fire Danger Statements in coordination with land and fire management agencies in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.