Ozark County Commissioners enact burn ban

Ozark County is currently under a burn ban, which was enacted by the Ozark County Commissioners on the recommendation of the fire marshal’s office last Thursday, Sept. 10. 

The burn ban applies to all residents and visitors of the county, stating they are not allowed to have an open fire or campfire, burn trash, burn fields, fence rows or wildlands and requires those who use cigarettes, cigars and smoking pipes to discard those materials in a safe way that will not cause a fire. The burn ban does not apply to the use of permanent stoves, fireplaces or barbecue grills. Those who fail to comply with the burn ban may be criminally prosecuted. 

Ozark County Presiding Commissioner Terry Newton says that the commissioners had been monitoring the dry conditions daily, and Sept. 10 was the first time Ozark County qualified for a burn ban. Burn bans are only allowed when the U.S. Drought Monitor shows a “severe drought,” classified by a D2 status. Part of Ozark County was upgraded to that status last Thursday, triggering the commissioners’ response in requesting to issue a burn ban from the Missoui State Fire Marshal’s office, a requirement before enacting the burn ban. Newton said that Joshua Couture from that office reviewed their request and determined a burn ban was an appropriate action. 

According to the U.S. Drought monitor, 95 percent of Ozark County is current experiencing a drought of some level with 33 percent in a D2-classified “severe drought” and 62 percent in a D1, “moderate drought.” A small band along the Missouri-Arkansas line has been lucky enough to stay in the “abnormally dry” designation, thanks to a couple pop up storms that fell in the Mammoth and Howard’s Ridge areas over the last couple weeks. 

Area cattle farmers are among those most affected by the drought with several ranchers saying their ponds have gone dry, their grass is dead and they’ve had to start feeding hay especially early this year, which will lead to higher overall costs going into the winter. 

Local residents can use the Condition Monitoring Observer Reports (CMOR) system to report drought-related conditions and impacts. It is a nation-wide service provided by the National Drought Mitigation Center, based at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, developed in partnership with the National Integrated Drought Information System and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The reports will become part of the permanent record, appearing immediately on an interactive map visible to the public, including authors of the U.S. Drought Monitor and the media. To see submitted reports, visit go.unl.edu/cmormap. To submit a report, visit droughtimpacts.unl.edu/Tools/ConditionMonitoringObservations.aspx.