This story was originally produced by the Concord Monitor. NHPR is republishing it in partnership with the Granite State News Collaborative.
The statewide prohibition on any open fire and smoking in or near woodlands has been lifted as recent rains have reduced wildfire danger in New Hampshire.
The ban was put in place Sept. 22 following the state’s driest summer on record since 1895.
As a result of the outdoor burn ban being lifted, the kindling of open fires are now allowed if a permit has been obtained. This includes fires built for camping, the burning of debris or warming. Smoking in or near public woodlands or on public trails is also allowed.
The state remains in a drought, meaning “we’re not out of the woods yet,” said Chief Steven Sherman of the N.H. Forest Protection Bureau.
“While the recent rain has helped make up for the deficit we’ve experienced this year, the increase in dried leaves and grasses on the ground that accumulate in the fall, combined with seasonal winds that accelerate drying them out, mean that there’s still existing wildfire risk,” he said.
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New Hampshire, which is the second most-forested state in the nation, experienced a ten-fold increase in both wildfire occurrences and acreage burned by them in August and September of this year compared with the same period in 2024.
Anyone interested in having an outdoor fire in New Hampshire must first obtain a permit, either at the municipality where the burn will take place or via nhfirepermit.com.
