Welcome to the Fire Environment page. This page aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the fire environment across Tennessee. Updates will be provided weekly, at a minimum, from October 15 through May 15 to support prescribed burning operations and planning.
Updated 9/18/2026
Burn permits will be required October 15th through May 15th. You can visit www.burnsafetn.org to get your free permit!
Tennessee Prescribed Fire Environment Update – September 18–24
Tennessee is entering a warmer and increasingly dry period. Outlooks indicate that widespread rainfall is not expected over the next one to two weeks. Any rainfall is likely to be scattered and uneven, with the greatest drying and fire-environment concerns across West and Middle Tennessee.
KBDI values above 600 are common across the state, with values above 700 in portions of West and South Tennessee. Some areas have gone more than three weeks without wetting rainfall. These conditions may increase ignition potential, fire intensity, resistance to control, and mop-up requirements. Remember that water is an insulator for tree roots and the longer the residence time of your fire, the more damage to already drought/heat stressed roots/trees.
Live fuel moisture is also declining earlier than average. Live herbaceous and woody fuels that reach approximately 30% moisture are treated as dead fuel and contribute to the available fuel to burn. Remote Automated Weather Stations (RAWS) in the Western part of the state are already reporting herbaceous and woody fuel moistures below 30%. This was three weeks ahead of time. This transition may result in more active burning in grasses, brush, leaf litter, and other fine fuels, even where some vegetation still appears green.
For prescribed burners:
- West Tennessee and portions of Middle Tennessee: Expect the most challenging conditions, particularly where rainfall has been limited, fuels are cured, or ice-storm damage is present.
- Highland Rim and Cumberland District: Monitor exposed ridges, wind shifts, cured vegetation, and localized dry pockets.
- East Tennessee: Rainfall potential may be somewhat better, but local dry areas, terrain, wind, and cured fuels can still support rapid fire growth. 1000 hr fuels are burning, so it may take longer mop-up times than expected.
- Expect conditions to vary significantly over short distances.
- Carefully evaluate wind, relative humidity, fuel moisture, drought indices, smoke dispersion, and forecast uncertainty before ignition.
- Do not assume that scattered rainfall has fully moderated fuels across the burn unit.
- Be prepared for increased flame production, faster spread, greater brush involvement, and longer mop-up.
- Monitor for wind shifts and thunderstorm outflows, even when storms remain nearby or produce little rainfall.