WISCONSIN – Like laser-guided bombs, federal wildland firefighters hit their target while conducting a prescribed fire at Hardwood Range, an air-to-ground weapons range in central Wisconsin. Highly trained and experienced fire specialists burned 835 acres to help maintain the training grounds and prevent wildfire.

Hardwood Range is a primary training area for Volk Field Combat Readiness Training Center, operated by the Air National Guard out of nearby Camp Douglas. It’s one of 15 Air National Guard bombing ranges in the United States used to train combat aircrews in air-to-ground weapons delivery and threat awareness.

Together with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Necedah Wildlife Refuge, professional wildland firefighters from the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest and the Forest Service Eastern Regional Office joined Air National Guard firefighters on staff at Hardwood Range to conduct the prescribed fire.
Prescribed fires, also known as prescribed burns, involve tactical application of fire under specified weather conditions. Most prescribed fires are meant to benefit native plants and animals, while also preventing wildfire. However, for this project, removing the understory cleared bombing targets for improved visibility and helped reduce the chances of wayward bombs starting wildfires during training exercises.

This collaborative approach to land management is not new for Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. And while the Forest Service brings incident management skills and expertise in every partnership, the ability to train in a variety of settings is important.

“We’ve been a part of this interagency collaboration for several years,” said Lee Jensen, fire management officer for the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. “The unique setting gives fire staff an opportunity to apply specialized skills and learn new prescribed fire strategies.”

Most of the aircraft training at Hardwood Range are F-16 fighter jets out of Madison, Wisconsin, and Duluth, Minnesota. Air National Guard units from surrounding states, Active Duty Air Force units from across the country, and Army and Navy special forces also train there. The site has hosted training for Canadian Armed Forces as well as testing and evaluation of jets used by South Korea and Singapore.  

The Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest expects to conduct additional prescribed fires on the national forest as weather and fire conditions allow.