As dry weather and forest fuel buildup continue, please consider a prescribed fire or burn, which is any fire purposely set to improve the land in some way. They may be started to reduce fuel buildups, such as
brush, dead leaves or logs on the ground, or to help restore overall health of the land’s ecosystem. A prescribed burn, for instance, might be conducted to prevent a major forest fire from occurring at a later
time.
Prescribed burns must be planned in advance and have definite boundaries. This includes getting approval from applicable state or federal agencies. Weather conditions play an important part of any
prescribed burn, including low wind, so flames and heat can be controlled. Such fires usually occur in early morning hours when weather conditions are optimum.
Use of prescribed fire is an accepted tool for land management, since burning under the right conditions allows better control of fire effects and smoke. It improves the land for forest, fish, wildlife and range
management, all while removing unwanted plants, encouraging the growth of new vegetation, and helping plants whose habitats depend on periodic fire, all while keeping the public safe.
While other methods may be used, most prescribed fires are lit by crews using a drip torch, a hand-carried device that pours out a small stream of burning fuel. If conditions are not safe for prescribed burns, such as with a heavy slash buildup after logging operations, other means of
controlling the land can be used, including mechanically removing brush and timber, or chemical treatment of invasive weeds, can be utilized, usually at considerably more expense than a prescribed burn. Where possible, though, a prescribed burn is the optimum choice, because it is
cheaper and provides benefits to the land that cannot be achieved by the other ways.
