In regards to forest fires and prescribed burns, do I think that the adopted philosophy that the United States Forestry Services has adapted is good overall?
I don’t necessarily agree with it, primarily because I understand and have seen the effects of forest fires of the incidental and prescribed means. I have seen the good that has came out of them. I understand that a monitored prescribed burn can work wonders in a woods or abandoned fields in regards to habitat re-development and construction for various wildlife species including but not limited to mammals, reptiles, amphibians, avian species and bundles of insects that feast on the natural forbs that are birthed after a forest fire.
I understand that if a burn is monitored, it does very little damage to the mature stands and yearling timber, if the wind, season and water table are all taken into consideration during a live burn.
In my opinion and recollection it seems to do more good than harm. I know that early successional plants volunteer themselves in the types of soil that are left behind, which have being lying dormant in the seedbed. Life of various plant species and natural forbs are brought to life through the release of nitrogen and other organic compounds that are released during a fire of the old growth.
Great forage for many mammals and songbirds, including our prized whitetail deer, cottontail rabbit, and bobwhite quail and more benefit tremendously from the habitat created during this early succession after a burn. The rabbits and quail multiply in great numbers throughout the early successional growth which typically grows back after a burn. They utilize this type of vegetation for cover and concealment for the raising and development of young as well as feeding on the numerous available seedlings.
I also understand that we the believers are the minority. There are so many in ‘high places’ that say if we burn a selected tract of woods that we are responsible for our smoke and such. This is understandable to a certain degree. But not the none sense here of a federal government funded entity such as the forestry service that has been giving the authority to maintain our present forestry resources having their hands tied. The prescribed burns initiated and executed by them has begun to diminish greatly as they feel threatened of being sued due primarily to the issue of this smoke creating cancers and such in nearby livestocks.
Because of scenes such as a hog farmer that claimed his hogs developed cancer from the smoke that swept across his farm from a nearby burn. I think that is rubbish, “What about your stinking hogs my man that stink for miles and your lagoons that overflow into our streams and rivers killing phytoplankton and fishes during this overflow?” Answer this one for my dear hog farmer to which the smell remains much longer than any lingering effects of smoke. Not to forget that the death of phytoplankton robs the air of precious oxygen just as your argument of smokes.
Phytoplankton account for half of the photosynthetic activity that occurs on earth thereby producing most of the oxygen content on the earth’s atmosphere. Wow, now thats a lot of oxygen that can be potentially killed when our rivers and such are permitted to be polluted. Another subject altogether.
The point i am trying to convey is that the benefits of a prescribed burn far outweigh any losses or negative facets taking place during a prescribed burn.
A prescribed burn is a very beneficial factor to the overall growth and management of wild species including game. However we are living in a day of unprecedented habitat loss, shortage of fertile habitats, urban sprawl and lawsuit happy persons. Such has had a diminishing effect on prescribed burns being utilized for management practices. Unfortunately.
By the way there are many forested areas that are significantly overtaken by undergrowth making them a prime candidate for prescribed burns. This would certainly rid the forest of overwhelmingly thick undergrowth which prevents new forage from entering the scenario.
It is time for some persons of understanding to educate the uneducated in this realm. For there truly lies dormant in those seed beds new forbs which would significantly increase the overall production of wildlife and songbirds. There are uncovered treasures that lie therein that are awaiting to be released.
Let us release these early successional plant growths by rendering and executing a well planned and monitored live burn.
signed – Chris Harrell
