Prescribed Burning
Not as SCARY as you think
What goes through your head when you think of fire? For many people, it is large wildfires burning up acres and acres of the Western U.S., or fire first caused by an unsafe campfire. For decades we have been taught to think that any large fire does severe destruction, and should be put out as quickly as possible.
There is another side to fire, though. One that flows slowly through our forests and grasslands, does not destroy our forests, and, in fact helps bring new strength and health to many natural areas.
A variety of ecosystems are actually adapted to periodic fire. There are several pine species such as Jack pine, that have serotonius cones, which means they release their seeds in response to extreme heat. Prairies and savannas are the main ecosystems dependent on fire. Without low intensity fires every few years, trees are able to grow and eventually reduce the crucial light the full sun grasses and flowers need for survival.
In Alcona County, the main reason we have large oak trees in the canopy is due to our intensive logging between 1840 and 1900. As the acres of slash dried up, many large fires rolled through Michigan. The fires in early 1870 and 1880 are likely the ones that cleared the ground and gave the oak acorns the nutrients and light necessary to germinate and reach the canopy before the competing pine regeneration.
Prescribed Burning allows land managers to put fire back into an ecosystem, obtain all the beneficial effects, and ensure the safety of the forest, the property and the employees. Organizations like The Forest Service and The Nature Conservancy use prescribed fire to improve a variety of ecosystems.
The Tools, Precautions, and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) use in Prescribed Burning
There is another side to fire, though. One that flows slowly through our forests and grasslands, does not destroy our forests, and, in fact helps bring new strength and health to many natural areas.
A variety of ecosystems are actually adapted to periodic fire. There are several pine species such as Jack pine, that have serotonius cones, which means they release their seeds in response to extreme heat. Prairies and savannas are the main ecosystems dependent on fire. Without low intensity fires every few years, trees are able to grow and eventually reduce the crucial light the full sun grasses and flowers need for survival.
In Alcona County, the main reason we have large oak trees in the canopy is due to our intensive logging between 1840 and 1900. As the acres of slash dried up, many large fires rolled through Michigan. The fires in early 1870 and 1880 are likely the ones that cleared the ground and gave the oak acorns the nutrients and light necessary to germinate and reach the canopy before the competing pine regeneration.
Prescribed Burning allows land managers to put fire back into an ecosystem, obtain all the beneficial effects, and ensure the safety of the forest, the property and the employees. Organizations like The Forest Service and The Nature Conservancy use prescribed fire to improve a variety of ecosystems.
The Tools, Precautions, and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) use in Prescribed Burning
The Tools, Precautions, and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) used in Prescribed Burning
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