As the dry and warm winter limps along, the Boundary Waters region has a new fire management officer.

Nick Petrack will serve in the leadership position for Superior National Forest, the federal agency announced this week. He will also serve as the fire management officer for nearby Chippewa National Forest in northern Minnesota.

The lack of snow and seasonably mild temperatures throughout the winter has led to speculation that 2024 could be a dramatic year for wildfire across Superior National Forest, including the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. In December, the state Department of Natural Resources warned of fire danger due to lack of snow. In January, officials from Superior National Forest said warmer temperatures are starting to have a visible effect on trees in northeastern Minnesota. The dry winter comes on the heels of last summer and fall when most of Minnesota, including the Boundary Waters, was plagued by drought conditions. Autumn rain did help allieviate some of the dry conditions in northastern Minnesota, and it’s certainly possible rain this spring could have a similar impact before the peak of wildfire season in May.

In his new role, Petrack will coordinate and develop long-and short-range fire management program plans, management activities and projects, and integrate programs and activities for landscape fire and fuels management, according to the Forest Service.

Petrack has longstanding ties to northeastern Minnesota and the Boundary Waters region. He attended college at the University of Minnesota Duluth and worked during the summer months for the Forest Service as a wildland firefighter.

After college, Petrack left Minnesota but remained with the Forest Service, working at different national forests across the West, including the Plumas National Forest/Los Padres National Forest in California. He also lived for various stints in New Mexico and Montana. 

The Boundary Waters was a treasure Petrack wanted to return to, according to the Forest Service, and he moved back to Minnesota to work on the Superior National Forest. During recent years Petrack has held several positions with the Forest Service in the region, including assistant engine captain, zone fire management officer, and most recently with the Superior and Chippewa National Forest fire management team.

“The national forests of Minnesota are very unique, challenging, and provide lots of fire related challenges within the boreal forest landscape,” Petrack said.

Note: Paddle and Portage will share frequent updates on fire conditions across the BWCA and Quetico in 2024.