Brainstorm Answer: Firesticks Ask Dave a weather question

Dave Thurlow, Host

 
Hi, I'm Dave Thurlow from the Mount Washington Observatory and this is The Weather Notebook. On a trip to Yellowstone National Park last summer, Phil Perkins, the fire management officer there, and I took a stroll out to the weather station where I immediately revealed my level of knowledge of forest fire meteorology. You see we came these sticks that seemed to be some - kind - of - well - idunno..

Dave: "These are the mostconfounding things that I've seen as Iwalked out here. They basically looklike little barbecue grill or something,but they're made out of wood.They're just sitting there on theground."

There were 4, one-half inch dowelsabout a foot long sitting in parallelwith a hook screwed in the end ofone of the dowels. They sat about afoot of the ground and did nothing.So a few weeks ago I asked you folksto tell me what I was looking at. Andyou of course did. So here's yetanother Brainstorm answer.

"Hi, my name is Lisa Kulmitz I live in Alamosa, CO and I listen to The Weather Notebook on KRZA 88.7 FM. You're fire weather instruments are fuel moisture sticks. They're used to measure the moisture in the fuels for fire and the Forest Service and Fire Departments use that information to find out whether the fire danger is high or extreme or low."

I knew that. Anything else?

Lisa: "I love your show"

Aw shucks So, the fire sticks sit out on the ground and every day someone weighs them if they're lighter than they were the day before that means that they are drying out, and, that all the sticks and twigs and branches and trees in the woods are drying out too. If the drying goes on for weeks -- that's trouble! Now, if the sticks gain weight then they are absorbing moisture and the fire danger is going down. It's really that simple. Firesticks - a simple weather tool for fire prevention.

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