The tornadoes that struck parts of Hampden and Worcester counties turned beautiful pine and oak woodlands into large areas of shattered trees, snapped off stumps and downed tops and logs. Huge volumes of broken tops and limbs litter the ground in many areas, making it hard to walk in these areas and leaving the forest a mess.

Whenever a large acreage of woodlands is blown down, one concern is the potential for large wildfires as the amount of potential fuel on the ground suddenly is very high. Such concerns are not unreasonable. In the years following the 1938 hurricane, the number of wildfires in woodlands where the hurricane caused significant blowdowns of trees tripled, even though the Roosevelt administration employed hundreds of workers through the Timber Salvage Administration to salvage the blowdown trees for lumber and pile and burn the tops.

While the downed trees and tops from the June 1st tornadoes were not a fire danger last summer because they were still green and contained relatively high levels of moisture, they have now dried out and will be a serious fire hazard until new green vegetation grows up later this spring.

Wildfire danger in Massachusetts is normally highest in spring (March until mid May) after winter snows melt and before new foliage emerges. Cold temperatures during the winter freeze any water remaining in fallen leaves or brush, causing cell walls to break and allowing the moisture to be released when it melts. When the dead vegetation is dried by the strong spring sun or winds, it becomes extremely dry, particularly on days with very low humidity. Such dry fuels are easily kindled if a spark is released and result in hundreds of wildfires in Massachusetts each year.

Last fall, State Forest Fire Warden David Celino issued a warning that the very high amounts of slash would present a massive fire danger in the spring of 2012. He urged residents who wanted to burn this slash to cut it up, cover it with tarps, and burn it during the winter when snow was on the ground.

The lack of snowfall this winter has only made the already high risk of wildfires worse. Residents who want to burn up the downed slash should take advantage of any periods of snow cover between now and April to get it burned safely.

This downed material, commonly called slash, should be cut up to reduce the fire danger. Cut up slash will wick moisture up from the ground lowering the danger or fire and speeding the decomposition process: uncut slash dries more rapidly, decays slower, and is more of a fire danger during dry windy periods.

The greatest risk of fire following the tornado will be in areas with tops and limbs of broken trees that have fallen in loose piles three or four deep with branches and foliage sticking up in the air. Because the branches and foliage/needles are not in close contact with the ground and air can easily blow through, the leaves/needles and small branches will readily dry out and soon become dry enough to be easily kindled. If a fire starts, it will expand rapidly and roar through the downed tops with flame heights reaching 15 to 20 feet or more. Such a fire burns very hot and will readily kindle downed logs, standing trees and other materials nearby, making the fire even larger and more dangerous.

If not cleaned up, the maze of tornado-downed trees will hamper efforts by local firefighters to put out any fires that arise, as they will prevent crews from quickly getting to small fires when they start, and create dangers of entrapment of firefighters should winds shift and the firefighters need to retreat.

When tree cutting is done, the slash from the tops and limbs from the harvested trees can create major fire hazards. Because of this, Massachusetts has laws (MGL Chapter 48, Sections 16 & 16A) that require that such slash be cut up to reduce the fire hazard. Slash must be cut up so no slash is more than 2 feet above the ground, and no slash is allowed to remain within 25 feet of a stream or wetland or woods road, 40 feet of a property line or railroad, or 100 feet of the center of a town way or highway.

These slash laws do not apply to the debris created when trees are felled or damaged by natural events such as the tornadoes. They will apply, however, when landowners cut trees (or have trees cut) to clean up their properties.

To minimize the fire danger in your woodland:

1. Cut up any downed tops or limbs to reduce their volume and make sure they stay in contact with the ground to wick up moisture and rot more readily.

2 Remove slash that is close to any road, trail or railroad that might serve as a source of sparks.

3. Don’t pile slash but try to leave it scattered lightly across the ground to ensure that it will stay as moist as possible.

4. Don’t operate equipment without spark arrestors in place.

5. Be careful with any sources of open flames, including grills, salamanders, and matches.

6. Small amounts of slash could be cut up, piled and burned during this year’s open burning season. The state’s open burning season runs from January 15th to May 1st in communities where open burning is permitted. Fire permits are required in order to burn, and permits to burn will only be issued when general conditions are safe and weather conditions are such that burning won’t affect air quality.

The safest time to burn is during the winter when the ground is covered with snow.

If you are considering burning slash to get rid of it, check with your local fire department about what precautions are required, and be sure to get a permit each day before starting any fires. If you decide to burn some slash, you must stay with the fire until it is totally out.

7. Remember: the nutrients in the fine slash are important for the future growth of trees and plants in the new forest. Cutting up slash and leaving it scattered over the ground will both reduce the fire danger and allow those nutrients to return to the soil and feed the next generation of trees.