It may seem as though spring has only just arrived, but strong winds and dry conditions mean that fire season is just around the corner.

Arizona State Forestry officials are asking residents to start thinking about wildfire prevention, regardless of whether they live in or just visit the state’s forested areas.

Although fire restrictions have not yet been put in place in any of the forests in Navajo County, residents are being asked to start checking for restrictions before visiting the forests. A website covering all of Arizona offers updates on restrictions, as well as controlled burns, is available now at www.publiclands.org/firenews/AZ.php.

Fire restrictions can be put in place by the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, tribal governments, Navajo County and local cities and towns, including Show Low and Pinetop-Lakeside.

The State Forestry Service also notes that residents should watch weather conditions closely, avoid using power tools like chainsaws in the forest during red-flag conditions and avoid parking on tall grass that could ignite. Other common-sense recommendations include never leaving a campfire unattended, building fires only in approved sites and never tossing lit cigarettes on the ground.

According to the forestry service, the majority of wildfires in the state are started by humans.

“More than half of all wildland fires in Arizona are human-caused,” the agency notes. “Many start along our roadsides as a result of discarded cigarettes, dragging chains on vehicles pulling trailers and car fires, for example. Other human-caused fires stem from unattended campfires, debris burning and power tools such as welders and chainsaws, which emit sparks.”

Residents living in fire-prone areas are also advised to reduce the risk to their property by creating a defensible zone around the home, pruning trees and removing ground fuels such as pine needles and cones, storing firewood far from the home, and keeping gutters and roofs clear of debris.

The forestry service notes that fire season is already underway in southern Arizona, and residents of the rest of the state should expect the season to begin soon.

“The threat of wildland fire will continue to increase into the central and northern parts of the state this spring and summer as Arizona’s forest and desert vegetation dries out,” the agency notes. “Windy conditions are capable of driving a fire to hundreds of thousands of acres in a short period of time.”