2025 Wildfire Season: Brownell Mt Brushfire Contained

On October 6th I wrote about the small wildfire on Brownell Mountain near Williston VT (ChittendenCounty) I was not able to find information about the containment of this brushfire. I was very happy that a large firefighting helicopter was based in Lebanon NH, just across the border from VT that aided wildland firefighters in fighting the brushfire. If you are interested in more information about this brushfire you might want to checkout this October 5th  facebook post from Northern/Central VT Fire Alerts, you will see information and comments while the brushfire was being fought, there is no containment information in that post. The good news is that the fire has been contained according to this October 6th article from The Hinesburg Record; according to this article

The fire covered an acre or so on top of the mountain. Steep terrain and waning daylight prompted a special request for a firefighting helicopter which was staged in Lebanon, NH.

Vermont Wildland Fire Specialist Devin Healy said that the helicopter, which dumped 2,000 gallons of water at a time, was unable to extinguish the fire but was essential in keeping it from spreading.

At the time that article was written no one could say for sure how the brushfire on Brownell Mountain was started but it may have been started by humans. 

2025 Wildfire Season: Small Brushfire on Brownell MT (Williston VT)

Direct link to October 5th video from WCAX Channel 3 News on YouTube

Obtained from Google Earth on October 6th.

I was very interested in the video that my friends at the B10 NJ Wildfire Page shared on their website earlier today, thank-you! Being somewhat familiar with Vermont though less familiar with the area where this small brushfire burned on Brownell Mountain in Williston VT, I wanted to share the video with you. Brownell Mountain is 850 feet in elevation. 

If you have watched this short video then you know that the fire is about an acre in size and was started sometime on Saturday, October 4th. I was pleased to know from the video that the large firefighting helicopter, a SkyCrane, that is based in Lebanon NH to help northern New England during a very dry summer. Expectations were that the fire would be fully contained by Sunday evening, October 5th, I have not been able to ascertain if this brushfire is indeed contained. As the brushfire is in a hard to reach area on Brownell Mountain, the assistance of the Skycrane made a huge difference in assisting the firefighters on the ground work the brushfire. In addition, see this October 5th news report from WCAX. Kudos to the all the firefighters who are working this brushfire to keep everyone safe.

US Forest Service: temporary assignment of helicopter to New Hampshire

Direct link to September 29th video from WMUR TV on YouTube

Obtained from Google Earth on October 1st.

Obtained on October 3rd from https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/

I noted this September 19th report in the Concord Monitor that after weeks of drought in New Hampshire that the National Weather Service designated the State of New Hampshire as being in high risk of wildfires. As someone who used to vacation in northern New England, I am familiar with the White Mountains having done some day hikes on Mt. Washington in my younger days. I am also interested in when the U.S. Forest Service assigns helicopters or air tankers to the eastern United States. So when I noted that the U.S. Forest Service has temporarily assigned a fire fighting helicopter to New Hampshire I knew that I had to write this post. The helicopter will be based at Lebanon Municipal Airport until drought conditions improve and there is no longer a high risk of wildfires.

2022 wildfire season: Bemis Fire - White Mountains (Crawford Notch) NH

I spent summer vacations in northeastern Vermont for years and we would drive to the White Mountains in New Hampshire at least every other year, if not every year. While I am not intimately familiar with Crawford Notch, I have driven down Route 302 through Crawford Notch, a beautiful drive. I have not hiked in Crawford Notch but have taken a couple of hikes up half-way up Mt. Washington from Pinkham Notch. That was 25 to 30 years ago when I was younger and with healthier knees. 

When I first heard about the Bemis Fire in Crawford Notch late last weekend, I took notice. The Bemis Fire was first reported on Saturday, May 14. What was believed to be one fire is in fact three fires, It has burned approximately 106 acres. See this article from The Union Leader (May 17th).

Obtained on May 19, 2022 from https://www.facebook.com/WhiteMountainNF/posts/383119587189061

Here is an update, dated May 18th, from the White Mountain National Forest. No structures are threatened. The fire is at approximately 45 percent containment in a steep and rugged area. Winds are gusting to 38 mph today, rain is forecast for tomorrow.

Thank-you firefighters, stay safe.

2022 wildfire season: wildfires in Connecticut

There are some wildfires burning in Middletown, Connecticut, about 300 acres have burned. 

Direct link to video 

2021 wildfire season: wildfire at Vermont Quebec border

I was catching up on two days worth of Mike Archer's Wildfire News of the Day e-mail newsletters this morning when I saw that he posted a link to a short report from WCAX in Burlington, Vermont about a wildfire (size unknown) that burned at the Quebec-Vermont border, go here for the article. The wildfire started on April 14th in Quebec and burned into a remote area of Franklin County, Vermont. I do not know the exact location of this wildfire, but in years past I have driven through this area and can attest to its remoteness. Having spent portions of some summers in northeastern Vermont not far from the Canadian border, I often found myself wondering about wildfires near the border and how Quebec and Vermont agencies would respond. This fire gave me my answer. Quebec sent a spotter plane and two tankers while Franklin Vermont provided ground resources. 

Massachusetts DCR Fire Control: Fire Towers and Tribute to Wildland firefighters

I have familial interests in Massachusetts, and always have a soft spot for Massachusetts. So, when something comes from Mike Archer's Wildfire News of the Day relating to Massachusetts, as happened the other day, I pay attention. For those of you interested in fire towers, Massachusetts still uses fire towers, at least on Cape Cod. As an aside, as some of you know, Cape Cod like New Jersey, has a Pine Barrens (scrub oak and pines). The NPR affiliate on Cape Cod (WCAI) had a three-minute piece on their radio network on fire towers in Cape Cod, you may go here for the audio report and some pictures.

I went to Youtube to see what I could find in the way of videos about fire towers on Cape Cod, when I came across a nice video from Jim Cunningham, "A Tribute to the Ma. DCR Forest Fire Control." I enjoyed watching this video, I think but am not certain that some of the images you see may be from Cape Cod. The Massachusetts DCR has been providing services to prevent, detect, and suppress wildfires since 1911. From their about this video description:

The Bureau is an active participant with all municipal fire departments in this endeavor. It also enjoys close cooperation with county and local forest warden committees, town and city foresters, state and local law enforcement agencies, and the Commonwealth's county and statewide civil defense and mutual assistance organizations. The early detection of forest fires is a key part of the Bureau's overall effort.

Direct link to Video from Jim Cunningham

Vermont - wildfires?

I was in Vermont recently for several days, I'm back now. When I was in Vermont, I heard about a small wildfire (about 20 acres) that burned in or near the Groton State Forest in Caledonia County Vermont. I don't quite recall where I first heard about the fire, perhaps it was in a newspaper that I picked up. In any event WCAX TV reported on the fire on July 10, as did the Burlington Free Press.

Sometime after I began to write about aerial wild land firefighting and because I have been going to one particular corner in northeastern Vermont during the summer for more years than I can remember, I got curious about wildfires in Vermont. As I have done on previous occasions, I visited the forest fire control webpage of the VT Division of Forestry and downloaded a copy of their 2010 Fire Statistics (I believe that this is an MS word document).

According to the 2010 Vermont Fire Statistics Report, there were 88 fires in 2010, burning 83.83 acres. Of the 88 fires, 87 were attributed to human causes. The ten-year averages are interesting: 119.4 fires and 215.37 acres burned. Over the ten-year period (2001-2010), 2005 was the peak fire year with 221 fires burning 597.14 acres. This short report also breaks down fires by county for 2006 to 2010 and gives rainfall data for the 7-month 2010 fire season (March 1 through October 31) for four five locations: Brighton (Nulhegan) -- 33.70 in.; Elmore -- 36.91 in.; Essex -- 33.92 in.; Danbly -- 35.01 in.; and Marlboro -- 35.68 in.

I summarized this report for you because it spoke to what had been my sense over the years that wildland fires in Vermont are often small. Of course, I knew that my sense of things could be wrong, which is why I wanted to get some numbers from the Vermont Division of Forestry.

I need to emphasize, that I only had access to fire statistics from the VT Division of Forestry for a ten-year period (2001-2010). The 2011 reports are not available, and I have not yet been able to find any "data" for Vermont wildfires before 2001. So far, the best that I can come up with is from the Vermont Division of Forestry's Timeline of Forestry in Vermont referencing a 5,000 acre wildfire in 1903 and 106 wildfires in 1908 that burned 16,000 acres (no specifics provided).  I have gotten curious about Vermont's wildfire history and I'll keep looking around as time allows. If I find anything, I'll report back here.

I do know that there were large wildfires in 1947 in northern New England, specifically in Maine, including but not limited to Acadia National Park. New Hampshire also saw wildfires in 1947. I don't know if Vermont experienced wildfires in 1947.

I found a reference for New Hampshire on webpage from the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, an article called Fire On the Mountain. The article itself seemed to be undated, but I did some digging on Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests' Forest Journal webpage, found here, finding a dated reference. I scrolled down to July 2008, and saw that the Fire on the Mountain article is dated July 6, 2008. In the section on fire history in the article, they refer to Goshen, Claremont, Goshen and Sunapee, all these places are in NH. In addition, the Fire on the Mountain article references a a 1941 fire in Marlow NH.

Unless something comes up between now and Friday (July 27), I'll offer some reflections on the Northeastern Forest Fire Protection Compact and what this regional compact means to me as a seasonal property owner in northeastern Vermont.

When the ordinary is extraordinary in VT: wildflowers

One of the nice things about coming to my cabin in June is seeing all the wildflowers around my cabin and in my meadow. They are especially beautiful this year, and I have never seen so many different varieties. Some of these flowers may be from the garden that my great-aunt Marjorie keep fifty some odd years ago. I suspect that birds and other natural processes account for some of the others. Some are probably invasives pr weeds and all are beautiful. Funny, what I consider a "weed" in New Jersey" is not a "weed in Vermont.

In any case, I have enjoyed seeing these flowers this year because they are natural. Here are some pictures of some of these flowers.

When the ordinary is extraordinary in VT: glacial erratics

A couple of days before I left for Vermont I was having an e-mail correspondence with a friend of mine from Australia. For no particular reason, I sent him five photos of my property in Vermont and the surrounding area. One of these photos is the photograph of the Lake in front of my cabin taken at sunset showing a large granite boulder sitting in about eight feet of water.

This is a favorite photo of mine (see the top photo), and I have about five different digital photos and who knows how many photos that predate digital photos. I have showed some version of this photo to many people over the years.

When my friend wrote back to me thanking me for the photos, he inquired:

“I find myself wondering how the rock got there?”

This very simple question got me thinking. I wrote back telling him the very short story of the geological history of this part of Vermont, that when glaciers passed over this area several thousand years ago large boulders were dropped at random and haphazardly. When the ice sheet retreated, these boulders, sometimes called glacial erratics were often left standing alone in a field, in a forest, or even in a body of water. In case you are wondering, according to local geologists, many of these erratics are granite.

Because it was only a few hours before my imminent departure, I had time for only the briefest of explanations to my friend, who also marveled at the trees. I wrote him a shorter version of the preceding paragraph and sent him some Internet links explaining local geology and forestry.

I was very glad for my friends question about how the rock got in the lake for it made me think about how unusual this rock is. I have taken this rock for granted for more years than I care to admit here. I never wondered how the rock got there because I always knew how the rock got there. I tried to put myself in the shoes of someone who had never been to this part of America before. I don’t take the erratics that are all too common in this part of New England for granted any more. I wanted to find one photograph that showed an erratic boulder in all its glory to show my friend (bottom photo). And I remembered this erratic on the high spot of a shoulder of a mountain. This photo is for my friend in Australia.

The ordinary is extraordinary in VT: maple sugar taps

Many of you, at least in the northeastern part of the United States know that Vermont is well known for its maple sugar. In march of every year when the days start to get at or above freezing and the nights are still cold, the sap in the sugar maples run. Maple sugaring is still very much alive and well in the northeast kingdom, as it is in other sections of Vermont.

Maple syrup comes from a stand of Maple trees, usually Sugar Maples, known as a sugar bush. I say my first and only sugar bush when I was fourteen, I won't tell you how many years ago that was. I was with my Dad and my Great-Uncle John in his wood plot on some land he owned on the side of the mountain adjoining the Lake. Uncle John had on old jeep that he used in Vermont, the type of jeeps that you might have seen in movies about World War II except it was gray and not olive drab. There was an old woods road that he could use to access his land from one of the town gravel roads.

Uncle John's idea was to cut a road from the old woods road down to the highway so he would be able to access his land. By this time, Uncle John was in almost seventy. My Dad and I went along to help him on this task that took about three days. I had a great time, by the way. Uncle John had an old chain saw that he used and I cleared brush and perhaps hacked away at smaller trees with a hatchet or a camp axe.

As we drove along this old woods road the first day, Uncle John pointed out a sugar bush owned by one of the local farmers complete with taps (in the trees) and tubing. I thought this was pretty neat.

I have tried without too much success to find this old road, all these years later, including a concerted effort about twenty-five years ago with no luck. Uncle John sold his land in the woods to his younger brother before he died. Uncle John got sick with what we know now as post-polio syndrome a couple of years later. For he had polio in one of the polio epidemics in the first part of the twentieth century when he was about ten. I don't think that he ever used the road that we built down to the highway, but I had a lot of fun and remember the sugar bush.

The ordinary is extraordinary in VT: a butterfly

I think that it was three years ago that I was outside my cabin in Vermont with my digital camera and was able to take this picture of a butterfly in the ferns that grow outside my cabin. I thought that this was pretty cool. Not exactly an award winning photograph, but I was happy to capture an extraordinary moment: seeing the butterfly when I had my digital camera

The ordinary is extraordinary in VT: cows

There are many dairy farms in the northeast kingdom of Vermont. At least I think that most of the cows that I see are dairy cows and not beef cattle, but I am hardly an expert. So seeing cows grazing in a field is a common sight. I sometimes great them as we drive by with a

"Hello, ladies."

Not that they can hear us we drive by.

When I was a kid growing up in the sixties, my Dad who went to boarding school in Vermont and summered not far from my cabin, used to say that there were more cows in Vermont than people. I think that the time is long past that that was true, if it ever was. But it was a nice story.

The ordinary is extraordinary in VT: wildlife

Being on a lake in northeastern Vermont, there is an abundance of wildlife. The call of the Loon’s is not hard to miss once you know what to listen for, usually around dusk. More often than not you are more likely to hear the Loons before you see them. And if there does happen to be one floating by within eyesight, if you do not happen to be looking right at the Loon at the right moment, it will dive under the water and you will miss it. I think that there is a breeding pair of Loons on the Lake. I think. However, I usually only see one at a time.

About a three minute swim from my dock is a large rock sitting in the water with a large ring in it. At one time someone may have used this rock as a mooring for a boat. Personally, I can not see mooring a boat to that rock because the lake is rough enough at times that I wonder if a boat would be smashed to smithereens! But the birds love to come and stand on the rock. Here is a photo of a seagull standing on the rock. There are some Merganser Ducks that breed near the lake. In the summer, Mama (or is it Papa?) will sometimes take her brood (sometimes as many as ten or more) to the rock where they climb up on the rock and sun themselves. They are quite a sight. I see them most every summer. It is hard to get a picture, as I have to be sitting out on the dock with my camera when they arrive. If I am successful this year, I will try to post a photo so you can see.

The sounds of the loon and the visits of the Mergansers are common. Harder to see are other animals such as beavers and minks. I think that I have seen a mink once or twice scurrying along on the rocks near the shoreline. I saw a beaver once. Every so often I’ll see a fish jumping in the water. Hummingbirds come around as well. I see the bees visiting the fox gloves on the side of my cabin, or the butterflies visiting the lilies.

The ordinary is extraordinary in VT: night sky

A few weeks ago I was writing on the general theme of when the ordinary is extraordinary. So, I thought that I’d revisit this theme as I prepare postings that will made to my blog when I am in Vermont and away from internet access. For those of you who are not familiar with Google’s blogger, there is this nifty setting that allows you to write a post ahead of time for publishing at a future date and time. So, as I write this, I am drawing on post memories of my time in Vermont.

In the section of Vermont where I spend time every summer, the night sky is relatively free of light pollution. On a moon free clear night, the sky is extraordinary. The stars are indescribable. There are so many stars that are visible to the naked eye, including but not limited to the band of stars known as the Milky Way. Most of you know that the Milky Way is the galaxy where our solar system is. But in a clear, light pollution free night sky, we can also see a faint band of stars of another section of the Milky Way.

My cabin faces west, so I am very familiar with the constellations in the western portion of the summer nighttime sky. I love to go out and lay on my dock looking up at the night sky. I am reminded of the magnitude of creation and find the stars comforting. I also get to see Venus when it is the evening sky as well as whatever planets are setting during the summer. In May, I saw Mars low in the western sky around 10 PM. Saturn was a little higher in the sky and should still be visible next week. Perhaps I will be to see the rings with my astronomical binoculars.

I’ll write back after I return and let you know if I was successful at making out Saturn’s rings with my binoculars.