update

If we do not get some rain up there soon, it wouldn't surprise me if we get into some sort of campfire restrictions after the 4th weekend. Limiting hours when fires will be allowed, or perhaps more stringent than that.
Looking at the weather its also possible that the BW/Superior NF may get a few fire starts by lightning over the next few days.

Last week when I came out at Moose Lake the woods next to that short 40 yard trail to the parking lot looked like a collection of last winter’s Christmas Trees. Where I had been up on Knife had not seemed that bad, but I definitely was seeing brown conifer branches here and there the same way you see red maple trees early each fall.

LindenTree: "If we do not get some rain up there soon, it wouldn't surprise me if we get into some sort of campfire restrictions after the 4th weekend. Limiting hours when fires will be allowed, or perhaps more stringent than that.
Looking at the weather its also possible that the BW/Superior NF may get a few fire starts by lightning over the next few days."

How much rain do you feel would be needed to ease the situation?

I wish we could send some of our rain your way. Last night we had over 7 inches of rain in about 12 hours and the kinni was in major flood this morning. The long term average for this day is about 125 CFS and today it peaked out at over 4,500 CFS and was 11 feet higher than it had been on Sunday. It was quite the blow-out.

moosedoggie: "
How much rain do you feel would be needed to ease the situation?"

Professionally speaking we use the term "Wetting Rain" out in the western US, that means greater than .25 inches. In Minnesota, I always considered a wetting rain of .5 inches is needed to claim the term "Wetting Rain"

Now keep in mind, with the rain deficient this summer, .5 inches of rain will only set back the fire danger for one week.
After that one week, "it's game on", the BW will be at the same fire danger severity they were at before the rain.

The brown conifer branches you are seeing are probably the spruce budworm outbreak. It is a native caterpillar that is going to kill every balsam tree in northern minnesota. I have seen the outbreak from michigan to the bwca.

It is most noticeable now as the balsams look brown and dying against the greenery of the forest. The outbreak has been occurring for 50 years and is now wiping out millions of trees.

I'm my 25 acres of land I am losing about 10000 trees. It takes about 6 years for them start to finish to kill the tree. They eat the new spruce buds in the spring and do it every year until the tree dies.

Tom

Brainerd area a few years ago and still going but slowing down, the black spruce are dying of a fungus of some type. Trees are losing all there needles starting at the bottom branches and working up.

We got our first good rain in months-1.7 inches in Brainerd, looks like the BWCA overall didn't get much more than 0.25 inches if that.

Jaywalker: "Last week when I came out at Moose Lake the woods next to that short 40 yard trail to the parking lot looked like a collection of last winter’s Christmas Trees. Where I had been up on Knife had not seemed that bad, but I definitely was seeing brown conifer branches here and there the same way you see red maple trees early each fall.


"

This is likely dead balsam fir, affected by spruce budworm. When you get too many old balsams, the budworms, which are native and around all the time, get to have an outbreak. Great fire fuel, as I understand it.

corvidologist: "

Jaywalker: "Last week when I came out at Moose Lake the woods next to that short 40 yard trail to the parking lot looked like a collection of last winter’s Christmas Trees. Where I had been up on Knife had not seemed that bad, but I definitely was seeing brown conifer branches here and there the same way you see red maple trees early each fall."

This is likely dead balsam fir, affected by spruce budworm. When you get too many old balsams, the budworms, which are native and around all the time, get to have an outbreak. Great fire fuel, as I understand it."

There has been an spruce budworm outbreak in parts of the Arrowhead for the past five years. This year is exceptionally bad in my area. During most of the outbreak they left the young balsam and spruce alone. This year they were even on "seedlings" less then ten years old. The moths just hatched and and were everywhere. A few even hitched a ride back in my car. Next year I will be busy cutting dead trees.

Yup we have lost many balsams to bud worm at our cabin. The trees that we have sprayed are doing ok.

Ely has had a significant amount of rain since Sunday and a lot more today. I hope July continues to be wet.

They should be getting rain right now and much of Minnesota is getting rain, maybe we broke the pattern and looks like more rain all week.