NEWS

The months leading up to summer often bring warm and dry conditions for Pacific islands, which means cautionary measures are being put in place to monitor and prevent harmful effects of wildfire and drought.

The U.S. Drought Monitor has forecasted that islands in Micronesia, particularly the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and Guam, will be experiencing moderate to severe drought beginning in March. Local fire and forestry officials are also advising residents to be wary when conducting outdoor activities.

At a glance, here are the times of the year when Hawaiʻi and the U.S. affiliated Pacific Islands historically experience a “dry season.” Varying factors, especially with the effects of El Niño and La Niña, can alter the durations, but the following timeframes reported by natural resource agencies are typically when drier conditions occur:

• Palau – From November to April, but sometimes can start as early as October.
• Guam – From January to June
• CNMI – From November to April
• Federated States of Micronesia – From November to April
• Republic of the Marshall Islands – From December to April
• Hawaiʻi – From May to October

To raise awareness on these potential challenges to our islands, PI-CASC reached out to partners and researchers to provide some helpful information on drought and wildfire.

Staying informed on drought

Dr. Abby Frazier, a climatologist and professor of geography at Clark University, has managed and worked on PI-CASC funded projects related to assessing climate data in Hawaiʻi and the U.S. affiliated Pacific Islands. Frazier provided the following statements below to raise awareness on the effects of drought in the Pacific Islands.

• Droughts are natural in the Pacific Islands and often driven by the El Niño-Southern Oscillation, though not all droughts occur during El Niño years.
• Droughts have severe direct and indirect impacts on Pacific Island communities. We see the impacts of drought on drinking water, agriculture, streams, traditional cultural practices, threatened and endangered species, and socioeconomic impacts including revenue losses and impacts on public health. Drought and wildfire are very closely linked, and proactive management plays a large role in reducing the severity of impacts.
• How drought will change with climate change is an important question that our team and others are researching. Some islands are expected to become drier in the future, which combined with higher temperatures could lead to worsening droughts. We have already identified long-term trends in Hawaiian drought: over the last century, droughts in Hawaii have become longer and more severe.

Tools for monitoring drought

• US Drought Monitor
• Submit a report or observation on drought in your community
• Island Climate Update produced by National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research in New Zealand

For more drought information and resources, including factsheets, please visit the Pacific Drought Knowledge Exchange website.

Wildfire monitoring and prevention

The following statements were provided by Ajalyn Omelau, who is the Cooperative Fire Protection Program manager with the Guam Department of Agriculture’s (DoAg) Forestry and Soil Resources Division (FSRD). Omelau is also a Climate Adaptation for Resource Management fellow and is being mentored by PI-CASC University of Guam lead Dr. Romina King and DoAg Forestry Division Chief Christine Fejeran.

To help people avoid instigating or contributing to wildfires, refer to Smokey Bear’s Five Rules:

1. Only YOU can prevent wildfires! This is especially important for Guam, where all wildfires are human-caused, whether accidental or intentional.
2. Always be careful with fire. If you must start a fire, use a proper container and clear the surrounding area of flammable materials like dry grass or overhanging branches. Always have a way to fully extinguish the fire, such as a bucket of water, a fire extinguisher, a metal lid, or dirt/sand.
3. Never play with matches or lighters. While this rule is often directed at children, it applies to everyone—improper handling of fire-starting tools can quickly lead to disaster.
4. Always watch your campfire. Unattended fires can spread rapidly, especially during Guam’s dry season.
5. Make sure your campfire is completely out before leaving. A fire is only truly out when everything is cool to the touch. To check, hover the back of your hand over the burned area— if there’s no heat and you can comfortably touch it, the fire is fully extinguished.

Since Smokey Bear’s message is traditionally geared toward audiences in the continental U.S., our local wildland fire prevention efforts focus more on outdoor fires that are common in Guam, such as barbecues, debris burning, and poaching

There are burn permits available, provided by the Guam Fire Department (GFD), to ensure that the community is burning debris safely and properly. Additionally FSRD provides a burn-support service for farmers who want to apply fire to their land for vegetation management. This process includes:

1. Obtaining a burn permit from GFD;
2. And a FSRD assessment of the farmland and guidance on land preparation before the burn;

This service was established to support local farmers while protecting surrounding neighbors, natural resources, and other assets from uncontrolled fires.