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Home / Guides / How to read a record / Fall fire season in hardwood hollows

Fall fire season in hardwood hollows

Last verified 2026-08-26.

The oak is not the season. West Virginia Code §20-3-5: forest fire seasons are March 1 through May 31 and October 1 through December 31. During those seasons you may set fire to forest land, grass, grain, stubble, slash, or debris only between 5 p.m. and 7 a.m., then the fire must be out. WVDOF, October 2021: chlorophyll drops, leaves turn, then fall; drier air and vegetation become fuel. Region 4: fall burns more acreage because of dried dead leaves. Region 6: most fires are in hardwood leaf litter. Quercus alba currently computes as on-list and includes WV. Opened WVDOF pages do not print a species table.

You are in a hollow treating summer shade as a fuel break. The statute is written for leaf-off. Vermont’s maple canopy is the same mix-up one range west.

This is not a West Virginia doorway.

Why it matters

Steep ground plus leaf litter plus debris burning is the WVDOF story, not a missing pine plantation. Region 1: fires in steep areas are hard to access and control. Region 2: inaccessible steep, rocky fires get big. Region 5: coal-field topography, cliffs, mine breaks, 4×4 or foot. Zone 0 is still the wall. A 10-foot burn-pile safety strip is not a planting zone.

This site’s West Virginia plant evidence currently holds 792 USDA-distribution records (437 on-list, 132 avoid, 42 conflict, 181 candidate). 25 Quercus records currently include WV. That is occurrence.

How it works

What the statute actually says (§20-3-5):

Seasons: March 1–May 31 and October 1–December 31.
In season: forest land, grass, grain, stubble, slash, debris only 5 p.m. to 7 a.m., then extinguished.
Exceptions without a permit (unless a ban): small attended fires for food, light, or warmth with 10 feet cleared; burning when one inch or more of snow covers the ground.
Safety strip: flammable material removed so the fire stays contained; in no event less than 10 feet wide.
Fine $100–$1,000 plus $200 civil penalty.

What live WVDOF guidelines say (Fire Burning Guidelines):

Safety strip at least 10 feet, down to soil, around the pile.
Attend until completely extinguished.
Vegetative materials only (leaves, brush, yard clippings).
In season, prohibited 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Permitted-hour fires out by 7 a.m. Matches the statute.

What the October 2021 post adds:

Jeremy Jones: season October 1–December 31 every year. Night air holds more moisture; winds calmer.
High danger: more dead fuels such as dry leaves and grass.
Extreme: flames in woody debris or conifer stands may be unmanageable.
Fall 2019: 305 fires, 4,098 acres. Fall 2020: 238 fires, 2,877 acres. Both below average, Jones said. 35% of all wildfires over 10 years from lost-control debris fires.
Region 4 (Christopher White): more land burns in fall; dried dead leaves. Second-most fires and acreage among six regions. Southern West Virginia is steep. Snags from repeated fires.
Region 6 (Vernon Stephens): hardwood leaf litter, some pine clearcuts.

What the brochure adds (Fire in the Mountain State):

Most wildfires in spring and fall. Usually moist forests dry on warm, windy days. Fuel: leaves, twigs, branches and brush on the forest floor.
99 percent human-caused. Debris fires and arson the two major causes.
Eastern hardwoods of ash, yellow poplar, beech, maple and cherry are easily damaged by fire. Large hardwoods often live with basal damage.
2001: more than 89,000 acres; $300 potential revenue per acre; $26.7 million.
Brochure restriction line prints 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. That is not the current statute. Use 5 p.m. from §20-3-5 and the live guidelines.

This directory:

Quercus alba on-list, WV.
Quercus coccinea on-list, WV.
Kalmia latifolia avoid, WV.
Acer saccharum on-list, WV.
Juniperus virginiana avoid, WV.

None of those badges are a WVDOF listing. See how to read a plant page and which canopy trees earn their keep.

The paths

Claim	Opened source	What it is not
Fall season Oct 1–Dec 31	§20-3-5	A summer canopy season
Burn only 5 p.m.–7 a.m.	Statute and live guidelines	The brochure’s 4 p.m. line
10-foot safety strip	Statute	Zone 0 at the house
Fall more acres from dead leaves	Region 4, 2021 post	Proof that oak is highly flammable foliage
Most fires in hardwood litter	Region 6	A missing Firewise table
35% debris over 10 years	Jones, 2021	A current-year dashboard
99% human-caused	Brochure	A lightning regime
792 WV records	USDA distribution	A WVDOF plant list

What people mix up

Hardwood on-list with leaf-off litter that carries fire.
A 10-foot burn-pile ring with Zone 0.
The brochure’s 4 p.m. line with §20-3-5.
2001’s 89,000 acres as this year’s count.
792 USDA rows as Firewise WV. The Firewise WV page was not opened this session.
Vermont spring leaf-off as the only Appalachian season. West Virginia wrote fall into the code.
Steep hollow access as a planting problem. It is a suppression problem on the opened pages.

How to check

Open §20-3-5. Read October 1 through December 31 and 5 p.m. to 7 a.m.
Open Fire Burning Guidelines. Read the 10-foot strip and 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. prohibition.
Open the October 2021 post. Read Region 4 dried dead leaves and Region 6 hardwood leaf litter.
Open Quercus alba.
Open West Virginia plant evidence.
Do not plant in Zone 0.

Limits

This page quotes opened §20-3-5, live fire-laws HTML, the October 2021 WVDOF post, and the opened brochure PDF. The brochure’s 7 a.m.–4 p.m. line is flagged and is not used as the legal hours. 2001 acreage and $300/$26.7 million are the brochure’s figures, not a 2025 table. Fall 2019/2020 counts are Jones’s 2021 figures. The ArcGIS daily fire dashboard and Firewise WV HTML were not opened as quoted sources. 792 and 25 are stored counts as of this writing. Zone 0 is not a planting list.

Where this differs

Find what applies near you

Enter a ZIP before browsing the complete evidence. Matching, inherited, and place-neutral records will move first; other places and unmapped application rows will fold into expandable groups. Nothing is removed. All 3 cited place claims remain available.

West Virginia forest fire seasons (§20-3-5)

March 1 through May 31, and October 1 through December 31 are designated as forest fire seasons. During any fire season, a person may set on fire or cause to be set on fire any forest land, or any grass, grain, stubble, slash, debris, or other inflammable materials only between 5 p.m. and 7 a.m., at which time the fire must be extinguished. Small attended fires for food, light, or warmth with debris removed 10 feet, and burning when the ground is covered by one inch or more of snow, are permitted without a permit unless a burning ban is in effect. A person shall remove all flammable material from the area immediately surrounding the material to be burned for a distance which ensures the fire will at all times be contained; this safety strip shall in no event be less than 10 feet wide. Violation is a misdemeanor, fine not less than $100 and not more than $1,000, plus a $200 civil penalty.

As of 2026-08-25 · West Virginia Code §20-3-5. Forest fire seasons; prohibited and permissible fires — West Virginia Legislature

WVDOF fall fire awareness (October 2021)

Autumn seeps into the air, bringing cooler nights, shorter days and lower humidity. As chlorophyll production drops, the green fades from leaves, which turn glorious gold, red, orange – or dull brown – before falling. The drier air and vegetation add up to potential fuel for wildfires. Fall fire season starts October 1 and runs through December 31 every year. Limit outdoor burning to 5 p.m. to 7 a.m. In fall 2019, West Virginia recorded 305 fires which burned 4,098 acres. Fall 2020: 238 fires burning 2,877 acres. Over the past 10 years, 35% of all wildfires reported in the state have been caused by people losing control of their debris fires. Region 1: fires in steep areas can be difficult to access and control. Region 2: if a dry fall, fires burn deeper in the ground; fires in steep, rocky terrain that are inaccessible get big. Region 4: spring may have a higher number of fires compared to fall, but more land burns in fall; the fall fire season burns more acreage due to the abundance of fuel in the woods from dried dead leaves. All of southern West Virginia is steep terrain. Region 6: most of our fires are in hardwood leaf litter, with some pine clear cuts mixed in.

As of 2026-08-25 · Fall fire awareness heats up during cool, dry autumn — West Virginia Division of Forestry

WVDOF Fire in the Mountain State brochure

The Mountain State is covered with rich, hardwood forests. Forest fire danger is present throughout the year, but most wildfires in West Virginia occur in spring and fall. During these two seasons, the Mountain State’s usually moist forests dry out quickly on warm, windy days, making the leaves, twigs, branches and brush on the forest floor ample fuel for a fire. March through May is the Spring Forest Fire Season and October through December is the Fall Forest Fire Season. Unlike wildfires in the western United States that are often started by lightning, 99 percent of West Virginia’s forest fires are caused by humans. Two major causes: escaped debris fires and arson. Eastern hardwood forests comprised of ash, yellow poplar, beech, maple and cherry are easily damaged by fire, resulting in reduced quality of timber, and often mortality in smaller trees. Large hardwood trees are not actually killed by wildfire but do receive damage to the base of their trunks. The Division of Forestry estimates that for every acre of forestland burned by wildfire, the state loses $300 of potential revenue. In 2001, more than 89,000 acres of forestland were burned by wildfires – an estimated loss of $26.7 million. Brochure restriction line prints 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.; live Fire Burning Guidelines and §20-3-5 use 5 p.m. as the evening start.

As of 2026-08-25 · Fire in the Mountain State (wildfire protection brochure) — West Virginia Division of Forestry

Questions

Why does West Virginia have a fall fire season if the woods are hardwood?

Because the leaves come off. WVDOF Region 4: fall burns more acreage due to the abundance of fuel in the woods from dried dead leaves. Region 6: most fires are in hardwood leaf litter. §20-3-5 names October 1 through December 31 as a forest fire season. A summer oak canopy is not the season the statute is written for.

Does West Virginia print a Firewise plant list on these pages?

The opened statute, fire-burning guidelines, October 2021 fall-awareness post, and Fire in the Mountain State brochure do not. This site’s West Virginia plant evidence page currently holds 792 USDA-distribution records. That is occurrence, not a WVDOF rating. 25 Quercus records currently include WV.

Is a 10-foot burn safety strip the same as Zone 0?

No. §20-3-5 requires a safety strip at least 10 feet wide around material being burned, cleared of flammable material. That is a debris-pile rule. Zone 0 is the first feet against the house. Do not treat a burn-pile setback as a planting permit.

Is this a West Virginia doorway page?

No. The object is statutory fall fire season versus hardwood leaf litter. Place claims sit on whereThisDiffers. The West Virginia plant evidence list is USDA distribution, not this article.

Sources

West Virginia Code §20-3-5. Forest fire seasons; prohibited and permissible fires — West Virginia Legislature (official). Accessed 2026-08-25.
Opened HTML. Forest fire seasons March 1–May 31 and October 1–December 31. Burning of forest land, grass, grain, stubble, slash, debris only between 5 p.m. and 7 a.m., then extinguished. Safety strip in no event less than 10 feet wide. Fine $100–$1,000 plus $200 civil penalty.
Fire Burning Guidelines — West Virginia Division of Forestry (official). Accessed 2026-08-25.
Opened HTML. Safety strip at least 10 feet. Attend until completely extinguished. Vegetative materials only. Burning season 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. prohibition, matching the statute’s 5 p.m.–7 a.m. window.
Fall fire awareness heats up during cool, dry autumn — West Virginia Division of Forestry (official). Accessed 2026-08-25.
Opened HTML. Jeremy Jones: fall fire season Oct 1–Dec 31. Fall 2019 305 fires / 4,098 acres; fall 2020 238 / 2,877; 10-year 35% debris. Region 4 White: fall more acreage from dried dead leaves; steep terrain. Region 6 Stephens: most fires in hardwood leaf litter. Region 1 Williams: steep-area fires hard to access.
Fire in the Mountain State (wildfire protection brochure) — West Virginia Division of Forestry (official). Accessed 2026-08-25.
Opened PDF. Most wildfires in spring and fall; forest floor leaves, twigs, branches, brush. 99 percent human-caused. Escaped debris fires and arson the two major causes. Brochure prints 7 a.m.–4 p.m. restriction; live guidelines and §20-3-5 use 5 p.m. Eastern hardwoods of ash, yellow poplar, beech, maple and cherry easily damaged. 2001: more than 89,000 acres, estimated $26.7 million at $300 per acre.