Prescribed Burns; Benefits and Addressing Myths

 

Direct link to video from CBS Evening News on YouTube

While the video I shared above is shot in California, I think that the report has good information that applies across the United States and elsewhere. I want to thank my friends at the New Jersey Forest Fire Service Section B10 Webpage for sharing this video on their webpage the other day. They post a few videos daily and I try to go and look at them at each day. As the folk behind the NJFFS Section B10 webpage are wildland firefighters and I am not, I always consider that the videos they share have reliable information. 

I am aware that there are  misconceptions and myths about prescribed burns and this video report addresses some of the myths. For example, while accidents can happen, Governments do not start prescribed burns to start wildfires.

I suspect that the exact specifics of when and what agencies conduct prescribed burns in your area will vary from the what you see in the video report in northern California. The US Forest Service has a page describing their prescribed fires (aka burns), they say in part: "Did you know fire can be good for people and the land? After many years of fire exclusion, an ecosystem that needs periodic fire becomes unhealthy. Trees are stressed by overcrowding; fire-dependent species disappear; and flammable fuels build up and become hazardous."

In New Jersey, prescribed burns are conducted between October 1 and March 31, with many prescribed burns conducted in late winter and early spring. The NJ Forest Fire Service has a nice webpage that may be found here where they discuss what prescribed burns are:

What is a prescribed burn? Technically, a prescribed burn is: "the skillful application of fire under exacting conditions of weather and fuel in a predetermined area, for a specific purpose to achieve specific results."

Since 1928, the Fire Service has used fire as a tool to protect the lives and property of our residents living near the forestlands of New Jersey. We do this by setting fires under exacting conditions to reduce the underbrush (the "fuel" for a fire), in areas that are prone to fire, or that may be located in a position where we feel we can defend against an oncoming wildfire. The use of fire in this way requires a level of skill and competence that we encourage through extensive, ongoing training.

The primary purpose of prescribed burning in New Jersey is to reduce the hazardous accumulations of forest fuels. This aids in the prevention of wildfires, reduces the intensity of the fires, and also provides a foundation for safer, more effective fire suppression and protection operations.

They then go on to give a short history, and discuss the steps they follow in conducting a prescribed burn: planning, preparation, execution, and smoke management. I believe that the information on the NJFFS prescribed burn webpage is inline with prescribed fires conducted by the US Forest Service.

Prescribed burns are an important tool to reduce the risk of wildfires. Thanks to all the wildland firefighters whether they are on the ground or in the air doing prescribed burns.