When properly planned and implemented, fire can be a useful and cost-effective tool for preparing sites for restoration [1]. Prescribed burning is the controlled application of fire by a team of fire professionals under selected weather conditions to meet various land management objectives [2]. It can maintain or improve ecosystem health by being used to reduce fuel loads, limit the spread of invasive species, prepare the site for planting, recycle nutrients back to the soil, and promote the growth of many native plants that have evolved with the presence of fire [3].
Prescribed burning can be conducted over the entirety of a predetermined treatment area (broadcast burning), or restricted to piles of debris (pile burning) [4]. Some sites are better suited for one method over the other. For example, broadcast burning was determined to be more productive than pile burning for site preparation of regenerating aspen stands [5].
Careful planning is critical when using prescribed fire. Multiple specialists and managers come together to determine whether prescribed fire should be used; and when, where, and how to burn. Weather and fuel conditions must be considered before, during, and after. After an initial project is approved, a burn plan is developed by local fire managers. Any prescribed burn plans must follow the guidelines laid out in the Interagency Prescribed Fire Planning and Implementations Procedures Guide [6]. Additionally, depending on the type of burning, Utah laws require that landowners obtain a burn permit. Always notify your local fire department when using fire.
Resources
- What is? PRESCRIBED BURN | NWFSC
- Prescribed Fire on Public Lands | Forestry | USU Extension
- The Use of Fire as a Tool for Controlling Invasive Plants | California Invasive Plant Council
- Reforestation: Prescribed Burning for Site Preparation | Texas A&M Forest Service
- The Regeneration of Aspen Stands in Southern Utah | USU Extension
- Utah Prescribed Fire Council | Forestry | USU Extension
- Utah Fire Management 2021 Program Guide
- Burn Permits and Fire Code | Utah DNR – FFSL (Forestry, Fire and State Lands)
- Prescribed Fire and Wildfire | Rangelands Gateway
- Prescribed Fire for Ecological Restoration
References
[1] Reforestation: Prescribed Burning for Site Preparation [Internet]. College Station (TX): Texas A&M Forest Service; c2012. Available from https://tfsweb.tamu.edu/uploadedFiles/TFSMain/Manage_Forest_and_Land/Landowner_Assistance/Stewardship(1)/Prescribed_Burning_for_Site_Preparation.pdf
[2] Prescribed Fire | US Forest Service [Internet]. USDA Forest Service; c2023. Available from https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/prescribed-fire
[3] Habitat Management Fact Sheet: Prescribed Burning [Internet]. Indiana Division of Fish & Wildlife; c2005. Available from https://www.in.gov/dnr/fish-and-wildlife/files/HMFSPrescribedBurn.pdf
[4] Rau A. What is? PRESCRIBED BURN [Internet]. Corvallis (OR): Northwest Fire Science Consortium; c2020. Available from https://www.nwfirescience.org/sites/default/files/publications/Prescribed%20Fire_0.pdf
[5] Britton J, DeRose J, Mock K, McAvoy D. Utah Forest Facts: The Regeneration of Aspen Stands in Southern Utah [Internet]. All Current Publications. Paper 1743. Logan (UT): Utah State University Extension; 2016 Dec. Available from https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2761&context=extension_curall
[6] Page WG, Kuhns MR. Utah Forest Facts: Prescribed Fire on Public Lands [Internet]. All Current Publications. Paper 1877. Logan (UT): Utah State University Extension; 2013 Dec. Available from https://extension.usu.edu/forestry/publications/utah-forest-facts/025-prescribed-fire-on-public-lands