Block · one region of the page, as the scanner read it. It may hold a whole story, part of one, several, or an advertisement; stitching blocks into articles is the next step. Text is supplied OCR.
Page 7 · column 2 of 6 · from the scan, no model involved
season was in 1991, when Governor Doug Wilder imposed a ban on entering state forests. The next day, rain and snow buffeted the state, and the statewide ban was lifted.
“In my 30 years at the department of game, that’s the only time I can recall the woods being closed,” Duncan said. “But this is a severe drought. I wouldn’t say that we are in a critical stage just yet, but we could really use some rain soon.”
Virginia’s fall wildfire season (Oct. 15-Nov. 30) typically coincides with hunting season. Already this year, 5,100 acres of forest have been torched across the state, compared to 3,732 acres at this time last year.
On Saturday, the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries enacted a ban on outdoor burning on all department land. The ban will remain in effect until Sunday, Jan. 6,2008, unless otherwise rescinded.
During the ban, building, maintaining, attending or using a fire, campfire or any stove or grill that uses solid fuel such as wood, charcoal, or coal is prohibited on department lands.
Campbell said that the next step could be a statewide burning ban on all forest land. He also hinted that the drought of 2007 could take its toll on hunting season.
“If this dry spell continues, hunters could see some restrictions,” Campbell said. “It all depends on the weather over the next few weeks. We could be
83.9%