The number of wildfires in Maryland during 2024 was much higher than the ten-year average, but acreage burned was significantly lower, according to the Maryland Forest Service’s Annual Wildland Fire Report. The report, which was released this month, covers data related to wildfires on 3.2 million acres of land overseen by the Maryland Forest Service.

In Maryland, 165 fires burned 953.4 acres during 2024, compared to 199 wildfires in 2023 that burned approximately 4,483 acres the previous year. Most fires are contained at two acres or less.

The number of fires started in October and November 2024 was more than twice the average and occurred during an extended dry spell. However, extensive suppression efforts by Forest Service firefighters and partners as well as a three-week outdoor burning ban in November were successful in keeping fires relatively small, despite the drought and high fire risk weather conditions last fall.

“The statewide burn ban in fall 2024 was a critical tool to minimize damage that threatened to be much worse,” said Chris Robertson, State Fire Supervisor for the Maryland Forest Service. “We are now moving into Maryland’s spring wildfire season and seeing some increased wildfire activity, which have been suppressed so far, but ongoing risks call for increased vigilance.”

The most common cause of wildfire in Maryland is debris burning, but arson is the most damaging. Debris burning caused 49 wildfires resulting in just under 49 acres of damage, while arson caused 33 wildfires and 668 acres of damage. Most of that damage occurred in February, when three marsh fires caused by arson burned 571 acres in Dorchester County.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources reminds residents that they can help prevent wildfires by composting rather than burning leaves or other yard debris, ensuring that camp or backyard fires are properly extinguished, and educating children about the dangers of lighters, matches, and wildfires.

Residents whose properties may be at risk of wildfires can use “Firewise” techniques to keep their homes and other buildings safe from wildfire. These techniques include clearing flammable material away from structures, using fire-resistant building materials when possible, and maintaining a 30-foot cleared buffer around your home.

The Maryland Forest Service is also expanding its use of prescribed burns to reduce wildfire risk on land susceptible to fire. In 2024, Maryland Forest Service and partner organizations conducted 87 prescribed burns covering approximately 8,201 acres.

Prescribed burns, also called controlled burns, have become an increasingly common strategy for land management and wildfire prevention. Large wildfires are not as much of a concern in Maryland as they are in western states, but the prescribed burns conducted in Maryland help reduce the dead woody debris and shrub layer that could serve as fuel for unintended fires.

Larger trees that are fire-adapted with thicker bark and resprouting ability, such as oaks, withstand ground-level fires. The bare mineral soil left behind by prescribed burns can stimulate successful regeneration from the seed bank. The burns can also help create successional habitat composed of grasses, shrubs, and other low-lying vegetation that provide new habitat for wildlife such as pollinators and ground-nesting birds, including quail and field sparrows.