Mitigating Wildfire
Wildfire preparedness measures are already underway for the 2019 season in the Eastern Region.
Now is the perfect time to talk about what the Forest Service does to mitigate wildfire and how you can help!
We use a number of different methods to mitigate wildfire
Prescribed fires: is the deliberate burning of wildland fuels, in other words those dead trees, underbrush and other vegetation that can fuel a wildland fire. These fuels are burned in an area less than one acre or an area of several acres. The type of burns include broadcast burns (within well-defined boundaries); jackpot burns (of natural or modified concentrations of fuels); and pile burns (akin to a bonfire).
Mechanical treatments: is the use of machines to mitigate the risk of wildfire through chipping, seeding, removing biomass, mowing, crushing and piling. Often, the resulting accumulation is burned using prescribed fire.
What are the benefits of these treatments?
- Forest nutrients are recycled into the soil
- Insect populations are minimized and the spread of disease reduced
- Native trees and plants are maintained in a way that is best suited to fire-adapted ecosystems
- Removes forest litter and nonnative species.
- Reduces natural build-up of twigs, branches, and grasses that have the potential to cause catastrophic fires.
- Recycles forest nutrients into the soil
- Benefits native fire-adapted plants such as Jack Pine which provides habitat for kirtland’s warbler
- Changes fire behavior and provides for safer, more effective fire response on wildfires
- Increase ecosystem and community resilience
And, there is a method to the “madness”
Prescribed fires are carefully planned in advance. The agency follows these general guidelines:
- Conducted only when temperature, humidity, wind speed and fuel moisture are optimal, ensuring the fire stays within designated boundaries
- Firelines are either plowed or mowed, depending on what is being burned, to provide a barrier that helps prevent the fire from “jumping” the line into an area not targeted
- Late afternoon or night burns are sometimes preferred when weather conditions are ideal
And, our forests and grasslands will notify you in advance about planned prescribed burns. We hope to minimize any undue inconveniences by doing so. Make sure to check your local forest or grassland’s website for alerts.
How can you help?
Take ownership of your actions in the woods. Did you know that 9 out of 10 wildland fires are human caused? Following are a few ways you can prevent causing wildfires:
- Make sure that your campfire is completely extinguished before you leave
- Make sure that your off-highway vehicle is equipped with spark inhibitors
Get involved and invite others to get involved. Following are some resources on how to get involved mitigating wildfire in your community:
- Communities can reduce wildfire risk or adapt to wildfire by taking actions that will protect homes, neighborhoods, and communities from wildfires.
- Reducing the loss of lives, property, infrastructure and natural and cultural resources from wildfires depends on long-term collaborative community action; check out the Fire Adapted Communities (FAC) Toolkit for more information
- The National Fire Protection Association has some great resources for communities and homeowners.
The Smokey Bear website has even more information about how you can prevent wildfires.