Fires in forests are not always bad. As a matter of fact, the White Mountain National Forest (WMNF) of northern New Hampshire and southwestern Maine plans fire burns each year. These prescribed burns, or controlled burns are used to restore and manage forests. They help prevent wildfires too. The burns began this month in New Hampshire and will continue, weather dependent, of course.
“The ideal condition for burning is generally when the weather is hot and dry, with some wind. These conditions remove moisture from the fuels; grass, leaves, woody material, allowing them to burn thoroughly,” explains John Neely, forestry fire technician for WMNF. He adds that if it is too wet to support a wildfire, it is too wet to stage a prescribed burn. If it is too windy and dry, these conditions are dangerous for any type of fire and prescribed burns will be suspended.
Neely would know. He has been involved with prescribed fire and fire suppression since 2001, participating in fire management nationwide, enjoying the contrasts and similarities between regional programs. Neely says New Hampshire recently developed a state wide Prescribed Fire Council that coordinates all the agencies that use prescribed fire. The council works to educate the public about the why and how of the burns.
Here’s how the burns help. “Prescribed fire in New Hampshire is mostly used in habitats that are adapted to periodic disturbance; these habitats include grasslands, blueberry fields, oak-pine stands, and aspen-birch stands. Fire removes the seasonal build up of dead material that restricts new growth, and kills competing vegetation that is not fire adapted,” explains Neely. Without periodic burns, grasslands, blueberry fields and oak-pine stands would be overgrown by the northern hardwoods and would disappear.
Burns reduce hazardous fuels. Hazardous fuels are fuels that have been built up near houses, roads and other resources. If a wildfire were to develop, it would be difficult to suppress says Neely. “The pitch pine/oak scrub barrens in Ossipee (western NH) are a good example of this. By removing these fuels with controlled fire, the potential threat is reduced,” says Neely.
Burns are tailored to specific areas. Neely says that burns are based on habitat types and burn objectives. “Groups including the WMNF, the states of New Hampshire, Maine, The Nature Conservancy, the military, and local fire departments use fire to preserve habitats that support a variety of plant and animal species, many rare or endangered like the Karner Blue Butterfly,” he says.
Safety plays a crucial role. When planning a burn, public and firefighter safety are the highest priority. “Topography, proximity to houses and roads, smoke effects, endangered species, and sensitive areas are common considerations,” says Neely.
Burns have been around for a very long time. “Prescribed fire has been around since humans first began influencing the environment,” says Neely.
Native Americans used fire for crop tree management. Europeans used fire to clear land and improve crop production explains Neely. In New Hampshire and Maine human fire was a strong force on the landscape until the early 1900’s. “In the early 1900’s a vigorous policy of fire suppression was adopted by the United States. Since that time, fire adapted species have begun to decline in the Northeast,” says Neely. Relative to other parts of the country, the Northeast does not have large areas of fire adapted habitats. The areas that do exist are shrinking explains Neely. The goal of the WMNF is to identify fire adapted habitats and reintroduce controlled fire to the habitats.
This seems to be working. “Fire burns do a lot of good things,” says Neely.
For More Information visit the New Hampshire Prescribed Fire Council or White Mountain National Forest
Read more: http://tenthmil.com/campaigns/restore/good_fire_bad_fire_-_the_nature_of_forest_fire#ixzz0mzNI2PCi
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