Prescribed Fire

Planned prescribed fire operations for the east zone of the Superior National Forest. 

• Shack Units and Elixir (144 acres) are approximately eight miles northeast of Isabella, along the Wanless Road.

Site-specific firing plans are developed for each prescribed fire.  Plans must be developed according to national standards.

During the planning phase, specialists conduct resource surveys to identify areas with cultural or natural resources that could be affected and need to be protected during burns. The plan includes measures to protect sensitive resources including threatened, endangered, or sensitive species.

For example, if an eagle’s nest is present near or within a prescribed fire area, vegetation may be cleared around the nest and sprinkler systems may be set up to protect the nest.

Specialists also evaluate fuel characteristics, topography, the location of buildings, and ways to mitigate undesirable impacts such as smoke. Ideal weather conditions are also identified. A step-by-step plan to light the fire and then hold the control line by reinforcing it with, for instance, water from hose lines or water dropped from helicopters. Plans are finalized with reviews from other resource specialists and line officers.

Part of the preparation for a prescribed fire may include:

• clearing control lines
• establishing helispots (temporary landing places for helicopters)
• and scheduling back-up crews and equipment.

Public notification and coordination with other agencies are also part of preparation.

• Under-burning is a low-intensity fire that burns beneath the canopy of live trees. The understory materials that would be consumed include small down, dead, woody material and live forbs, shrubs and seedlings. Some live mature trees may be burned, but the intent is to maintain the forest canopy.
• Broadcast burning is where fire is applied generally to most or all of an area within well-defined boundaries for reduction of fuel hazard, as a resource management treatment; or both burn intensity varies throughout the treatment unit depending on vegetation, fuels, and topography. These burns create a new stand at the young age class. However, unburned areas or lightly burned areas within the unit may be common.
• Site preparation burn is a broadcast burn applied across a harvest unit. Harvest slash is consumed to reduce fuel hazards to acceptable levels, while duff and brush competition is reduced to acceptable levels to promote successful regeneration.
• Pile burns are burn piles of operator slash after harvest or piles as a result of hand piling.
• Mosaic burns are done where burn intensity various throughout the treatment unit depending on vegetation, fuels, and topography, creating a mosaic pattern in the unit. 

During active prescribed fire, smoke and flames may be visible from roads and areas near the unit(s). Smoke may settle in low areas in the evening hours; however, ignition days and times will be adjusted to avoid smoke sensitive areas. If you have health problems that may be aggravated by smoke, please contact your nearest district office to talk to a fire management officer. Affected individuals will be notified of prescribed fires that are conducted on National Forest System lands in their vicinity the day of the burn. 

Prescribed fires are usually ignited by either hand crews on the ground with drip torches or explosives or by air with a helicopter or airplane or a combination of these methods.

Following ignition, fire crews monitor the progress of the burn, patrol to observe behavior of the fire and take actions, when needed, to make sure that the fire stays within the predetermined unit boundaries.

After the unit has burned, fire crews' mop-up (put out hot spots) and patrol the area to make sure the fire is out.

Prescribed fire plans identify weather and fuel conditions appropriate for conducting prescribed fire. These conditions are a balance of the fire behavior need to meet objectives and the ability for holding resources to control the fire. Fire behavior modeling programs are used to identify the weather and fuel conditions that produce the fire behavior necessary to meet those conditions. Weather and fuel parameters that are given additional consideration include:

• Wind: In the boreal forest systems, most large fires are a result of high wind conditions. Eye level wind speeds in excess of 25 miles per hour have been found to be problematic at times. Therefore, when planning a prescribed fire, wind conditions are continually monitored.
• Drought: The other variable that has been present during large fire events in boreal system is dry fuel conditions. Prolonged lack of moisture produces drought conditions which results in dry fuel conditions. Drought codes are monitored to ensure fuel conditions are not too dry. For more information on drought indices visit the NOAA website. The Canadian Fire Behavior Prediction System is used to monitor drought conditions on the Superior National Forest. 

There are a limited number of days each year that meet the conditions appropriate to conduct prescribed fires. On a given year there are 10-20 days which prescribed fire can be conducted.

Typically, prescribed fire conditions are most appropriate in early spring and fall.

In early spring, fuel conditions are drier because vegetation is coming out of dormancy. Once green-up occurs, vegetation is at full water content and holds moistures making it difficult to burn.

In the fall, vegetation is beginning to go into dormancy and water content is beginning to drop off. Also in the fall time, the shorter days create condition which do not support high intensity fire or prolonged burning which can be problematic from a control standpoint.

The following list summarizes the steps taken to keep the public informed of planned prescribed fires in the BWCAW. Most of these steps are followed for all prescribed fires. 

• Burn Plan: Site-specific public notifications are identified for each prescribed fire unit during the preparation of the burn plan.
• Yearly: A summary and map of planned prescribed burns is prepared annually and posted on the Superior National Forest website and to Inciweb. Annual prescribed fire information is sent to partner agencies, media, community contacts, tourism industry, government officials, cooperators, other business and the public. Meetings are held with residents, businesses, and organizations in advance of prescribed burns to present information and answer questions.
• Week Prior to Burning: Advisories will be posted via the notification network, in campgrounds, entry points and at all permitting offices.
• 1-2 Days Prior to Burning: Local residents, business, and cooperators are notified.
• During a Prescribed Burn: Updates will be provided to the public as available.