Fires are a very important part of nature. It is natures method of
releasing nutrients and stimulating new life. Through the use of
prescribed fires, todays fire managers are trying to work with nature to
improve habitat and forage for animals. Prescribed fires are planned very
carefully. Fire managers ignite them when weather conditions enhance our
ability to confine them to predetermined areas. After the fires, plans
are usually made for Fire Rehabilitation. This Fire Rehabilitation
includes treatments to improve the regrowth of vegetation in the are for
wildlife and livestock, to prevent erosion, and sometimes to prevent
replacement of native species by other non-native species. As discussed
earlier, there are many benefits to the use of prescribed fires.
Following is a list of some of these benefits:
- keeps dead and dying plant matter or "ground fuels" at low levels thus reducing the possibility of destructive wildfires that can spread to nearby urban areas, and harm plants and animals which occur when fuels accumulate.
- assists in insect pest control
- removes undesired plants that compete with wanted species for nutrients
- cycles nutrients through the soil for trees and other vegetation from the ashes remaining after the fire
- removes the undergrowth that prevents sunlight from reaching plants on the forest floor
- clears congested forest area to facilitate planting
- reduce tree diseases
Prescribed Fires are being used frequently and are always scheduled ahead of time optimize control over the fire. The scheduling is done by the Bureau of Land Management, which was created to keep a record of these prescribed fires. Some places where prescribed fires have been used and are being scheduled are:
- Yosemite National Park
- Stanislaus National Forest
- Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks
- south slope of Goslin Mountain near Red Creek in the Browns Park area
These are only a few areas in which Prescribed fires have been used and are being planned. The objectives of the planned burns are to reduce forest fuel loadings and wildfire hazards while maintaining optimal vegetative and wildlife conditions.