FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — Even with rain predicted for this week, extreme drought conditions persist across Georgia.
Upwards of 920,000 Fulton County residents are experiencing dry heat and low water flows after almost one month of no rainfall.
“We’re undoubtedly seeing a drought right now,” Milton Fire Department Deputy Chief Alex Fortner said.
In his 18 years as a firefighter, Fortner said he has seldom seen conditions like this. Milton firefighters have responded to brush fires almost daily.
With dry conditions, fires can start quickly – one stray spark from a campfire or controlled burn can spread out of control, Fortner said.
He also noted the strain that small, frequent fires have on firefighters’ resources. Neighboring North Fulton cities like Johns Creek and Roswell have mutual aid agreements to share equipment when needed.
“When you start having 12 little spot fires in a row because somebody was dragging chain down the road, we end up having to dispatch other fire engines to those other locations to get those extinguished before they reach a bigger section of woods or a house,” Fortner said.
The Roswell Fire Department has a utility terrain vehicle it can deploy to brush fires in wooded areas. Chad Miller, the department’s public information officer, said crews constantly monitor fire weather forecasts and the Keetch-Byram Drought Index to prepare for the possibility of more brush fires.
The drought index, monitored by the U.S. Forest Service, assesses fire risk based on soil dryness and other environmental factors.
State of emergency
In South Georgia, major wildfires have burned a combined 35,000 acres across two counties. Gov. Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency for 91 Georgia counties as the state experiences its worst drought since 2011.
When considering the risk of similar fires in North Georgia, Fortner said higher temperatures means drier grass, which serves as fuel for fires. However, the region’s landscape differs from South Georgia.
“Our landscape is just different up here versus down there,” Fortner said. “We don’t have a lot of wooded area up here; this is a more populated area. So, there’s less likelihood that a fire could really get out of hand to that degree.”
Still, Fortner and Miller stressed that fires could occur in any community. They urged residents to abide by burn bans and reduce risks around their home through proper disposal of cigarettes and careful handling of grills, landscaping tools and fire pits near dry vegetation. Most wildfires start from human activity, Miller said.
The statewide burn ban goes into effect May 1, and Milton has a local ordinance that prohibits open burning on non-agriculturally zoned parcels.
Even with rain projected in the forecast, one good rain won’t reset things. Miller said it takes weeks of soaking rain to change conditions.
Farmers’ thoughts
Cameron Stribling, farm manager for Martin’s Garden at Coleman Farms in Roswell, said the most notable difference this year is the lack of humidity combined with the hot temperatures.
“It’s been a lot of extra, added stress trying to schedule around the nonexistent rain,” Stribling said.
Staff must work more often to turn on the farm’s water which Stribling described as a laborious task. Coleman Farms has access to a well, enabling it to avoid crop failure by watering plants at a lower cost than farms using Fulton County water.
The heat is having an unexpected effect on plant growth this early in the season. In the springtime, Stribling focuses on growing leafy greens, such as lettuce and bok choy, and their development has accelerated with the heat.
“The way that it’s been hotter than usual has made these things grow as if they were planted in the summer,” Stribling said.
If the heat persists, it could force her to plant tomatoes and other summer crops sooner than expected.
“Farmers are facing the brunt of [climate change],” Stribling said, “Because we can’t predict the future, so we’re adapting in real time and it’s a lot.”
Martin’s Garden operates the farm on 1 acre out of the 7-acre property on Coleman Road. Annual operating costs exceed $40,000 with 4 percent allocated toward utilities. Stribling estimates that cost will increase by at least 1 percent this year due to heat, lack of water and rising material costs.
It’s a trickle-down effect, she said, because a lot of money is invested up front, but farmers don’t see a return until after their annual harvest.
“…If the resources don’t pan out, we don’t see that until the season ends,” Stribling said.
Floyd Keisler with Moss Hill Farm in Milton said the weather has not impacted their production. With access to a pond and overhead sprinkles, he doesn’t think the drought will affect the farm unless the pond runs dry or the irrigation system fails.
“So far, we have not been impacted, but we are a very rare thing for small farmers,” Keisler said. “We do not have to depend on county water, which that alone would have been very costly.”
Keisler said he’s had to water more frequently than in past years. He’s been farming in Alpharetta since 1996.
The field has been watered six times already this year – only one month into the growing season. In previous years, Keisler said they would only water a couple times over the seven-month season.
Even with the water, crops are stressed, Keisler said. They use compost and mulch from horse manure to hold moisture in the ground, forcing plants to grow deeper to find water.
If dry conditions persist, Keisler predicts less crop production, making it harder to supplement Social Security payments with annual earnings.
“This is a very crucial time for most of us small farmers who do not have green houses and grow in the open,” Keisler said. “We only have a seven-month window to produce food that will grow here in our growing zone.”
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