Comments on: Controlled Burning: Is It Worth It? http://blog.nature.org/2009/09/controlled-burning-is-it-worth-it/ A blog on conservation, from migratory birds to coral reefs, from rainforests to climate change to personal green technology. Mon, 13 Feb 2012 20:29:04 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Steve Suttell http://blog.nature.org/2009/09/controlled-burning-is-it-worth-it/comment-page-1/#comment-64864 Steve Suttell Sun, 31 Oct 2010 20:13:13 +0000 http://blog.nature.org/?p=6727#comment-64864 I do not think prescribed burning should be looked at in terms of cost without giving a fair assessment of the benefits. Years of fire suppression have put our forests at risk. Mother Nature has responded with epidemic Mountain Pine Beetle infestations in our lodgepole pine forests. A natural fire regime in these forest and a corresponding mosaic pattern of numerous even-aged stands has enormous benefits which far out-way the costs. Lest we forget, the benefit to man alone in terms of reduced fuel loading is significant. Yellowstone has greatly benefited from fire. The 1988 fires were to a large extent nature's retaliation, and the subsequent benefits to wildlife alone are significant. My biggest fear is that the National Park Service will curtail its prescribed burning efforts and let-burn policy. The fuel loadings associated with the '88 burns are excessive and need a innovative response by fire management. Fire suppression has also had a detrimental effect on Mule Deer populations by allowing western juniper to encroach into bitterbrush ecosystems. Now that the western juniper are established, their allelopathic properties make the juniper stands resistant to light burning eradication. The loss of winter range feed for the Mule Dear is a significant cost. I look forward to the day when fire will never need to be "controlled" in our forests and suppression costs are not necessary. I do not think prescribed burning should be looked at in terms of cost without giving a fair assessment of the benefits. Years of fire suppression have put our forests at risk. Mother Nature has responded with epidemic Mountain Pine Beetle infestations in our lodgepole pine forests. A natural fire regime in these forest and a corresponding mosaic pattern of numerous even-aged stands has enormous benefits which far out-way the costs. Lest we forget, the benefit to man alone in terms of reduced fuel loading is significant. Yellowstone has greatly benefited from fire. The 1988 fires were to a large extent nature’s retaliation, and the subsequent benefits to wildlife alone are significant. My biggest fear is that the National Park Service will curtail its prescribed burning efforts and let-burn policy. The fuel loadings associated with the ’88 burns are excessive and need a innovative response by fire management.

Fire suppression has also had a detrimental effect on Mule Deer populations by allowing western juniper to encroach into bitterbrush ecosystems. Now that the western juniper are established, their allelopathic properties make the juniper stands resistant to light burning eradication. The loss of winter range feed for the Mule Dear is a significant cost.

I look forward to the day when fire will never need to be “controlled” in our forests and suppression costs are not necessary.

]]> By: Lucy http://blog.nature.org/2009/09/controlled-burning-is-it-worth-it/comment-page-1/#comment-12484 Lucy Fri, 02 Oct 2009 19:31:53 +0000 http://blog.nature.org/?p=6727#comment-12484 I don't understand why nobody is looking at the health effects on these "prescribed" burns that often get out of control. They are commonplace in Northern Arizona where the winds blow constantly. Therefore the smoke drifts to places far away from the ignition site, causing health problems for people. I have asthma and am always adversely affected by the smoke from these fires. The burns have been conducted in my neighborhood as well and I can't begin to calculate how much $$ I lost going to the doctor and/or having to leave town because of the severity of the smoke. When the burns were conducted near my school I couldn't attend class or go to work, so that equates to more $$ lost, not to mention my health. I was pregnant one summer when a dark cloud of thick smoke took over my city and I had a few minutes to pack because I had to leave. Phones weren't working and people were advised to be on "standby" in case the fire and smoke got worse. NOT a way to live at all. I couldn't afford to move and shouldn't have to because some idiots want to play with fire. I don’t understand why nobody is looking at the health effects on these “prescribed” burns that often get out of control. They are commonplace in Northern Arizona where the winds blow constantly. Therefore the smoke drifts to places far away from the ignition site, causing health problems for people. I have asthma and am always adversely affected by the smoke from these fires. The burns have been conducted in my neighborhood as well and I can’t begin to calculate how much $$ I lost going to the doctor and/or having to leave town because of the severity of the smoke. When the burns were conducted near my school I couldn’t attend class or go to work, so that equates to more $$ lost, not to mention my health. I was pregnant one summer when a dark cloud of thick smoke took over my city and I had a few minutes to pack because I had to leave. Phones weren’t working and people were advised to be on “standby” in case the fire and smoke got worse. NOT a way to live at all. I couldn’t afford to move and shouldn’t have to because some idiots want to play with fire.

]]> By: John Matel http://blog.nature.org/2009/09/controlled-burning-is-it-worth-it/comment-page-1/#comment-11172 John Matel Sat, 12 Sep 2009 00:22:13 +0000 http://blog.nature.org/?p=6727#comment-11172 Nature Conservancy's fire management is one reason I rejoined. I own forest land in Virginia and attend lots of seminars on land management. I always find Nature Conservancy people there and they understand the need for fire. This is a great article. Thank you. Nature Conservancy’s fire management is one reason I rejoined. I own forest land in Virginia and attend lots of seminars on land management. I always find Nature Conservancy people there and they understand the need for fire. This is a great article. Thank you.

]]> By: Mike Ross http://blog.nature.org/2009/09/controlled-burning-is-it-worth-it/comment-page-1/#comment-11159 Mike Ross Fri, 11 Sep 2009 20:05:18 +0000 http://blog.nature.org/?p=6727#comment-11159 How long will prescribed burning be a viable tool in all but the remotest areas? As wild areas are being invaded with communities, houses and resorts, planning and implementing prescribed burns becomes more difficult. Climate change may also be narrowing or closing the burning window in many areas. Land managers are forced to make razor edge decisions because of limited windows, budget constraints, "use it or lose it funding", hard acreage "targets" and crew commitments. Other factors such as concern by residents about fire in their "neighborhood" and concern about smoke and health issues. Several years ago, while on a fire in Arizona, I talked to a State Forester from North Carolina about his prescribed burn program. He said that over the last decade the acreage they burned was down to only a fraction of the previous decade. The decline was mainly due to the fact that thousands of new homes had been built in rural areas and people just didn't like the smoke. They just couldn't handle the public relations issues. Things may have changed since then, but I doubt it. How long will prescribed burning be a viable tool in all but the remotest areas? As wild areas are being invaded with communities, houses and resorts, planning and implementing prescribed burns becomes more difficult. Climate change may also be narrowing or closing the burning window in many areas. Land managers are forced to make razor edge decisions because of limited windows, budget constraints, “use it or lose it funding”, hard acreage “targets” and crew commitments. Other factors such as concern by residents about fire in their “neighborhood” and concern about smoke and health issues. Several years ago, while on a fire in Arizona, I talked to a State Forester from North Carolina about his prescribed burn program. He said that over the last decade the acreage they burned was down to only a fraction of the previous decade. The decline was mainly due to the fact that thousands of new homes had been built in rural areas and people just didn’t like the smoke. They just couldn’t handle the public relations issues. Things may have changed since then, but I doubt it.

]]> By: Dennis Toll http://blog.nature.org/2009/09/controlled-burning-is-it-worth-it/comment-page-1/#comment-10949 Dennis Toll Wed, 09 Sep 2009 02:35:50 +0000 http://blog.nature.org/?p=6727#comment-10949 Living in the Flint Hills, I see the effects on the tallgrass prairie when fire is taken out of the ecosystem. Most of the ranchers have kept the prairie in a healthy condition with controlled burns and we can see the positive effects of fire in Conservancy-related sites like the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve and the Konza Prairie Biological Station. But there are too many places in the hills where burning has been halted and in a few short years the eastern redcedars take over and wipe out the prairie ecosystem. So around here, I would remove the word "qualified" from your last sentence. Living in the Flint Hills, I see the effects on the tallgrass prairie when fire is taken out of the ecosystem. Most of the ranchers have kept the prairie in a healthy condition with controlled burns and we can see the positive effects of fire in Conservancy-related sites like the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve and the Konza Prairie Biological Station. But there are too many places in the hills where burning has been halted and in a few short years the eastern redcedars take over and wipe out the prairie ecosystem. So around here, I would remove the word “qualified” from your last sentence.

]]> By: Eco-Friendly http://blog.nature.org/2009/09/controlled-burning-is-it-worth-it/comment-page-1/#comment-10930 Eco-Friendly Tue, 08 Sep 2009 20:24:57 +0000 http://blog.nature.org/?p=6727#comment-10930 Good article. I would think the decades of fire prevention would also contribute to the difficulty of keeping a fire under control. With so much land that has been un-burned for so long, the amount of dry brush and fuel must be extreme in some areas. Good article. I would think the decades of fire prevention would also contribute to the difficulty of keeping a fire under control. With so much land that has been un-burned for so long, the amount of dry brush and fuel must be extreme in some areas.

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