Wednesday, 14 March 2018

16:10 March 14, 2018 16:10 by conser36_wp

Fire! Prescribed Burn Season Begins

Image of three person prescribed burn crew.

Line crew lights flanking fire in tight fire break.

The spring melt means that the very best time to control invasive brush and weeds starts this week across much of Wisconsin. Whether you manage an acre or several thousand, nothing beats controlled fire for land conservation.

Public land managers know this very well. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources start their annual burn season any day.

Controlled fire can knock down invasive trees, shrubs and weeds like nothing else. The Wisconsin landscape is adapted to fire. Many native plants tolerate low intensity fire and some even require it. Because controlled burns are used in the late fall or early spring, while native plants are dormant, most are completely unaffected.

Effective use of prescribed burns can get more done in a day than months of hand pulling or weeks of spot herbicide treatments. It is cheaper than broadcast herbicide treatments; without harming native plants.

Learn To Burn Safely

Crew checking backpack pump cans

The Prairie Enthusiasts will hold a prescribed fire training class this Saturday. The one day class is designed for people without previous burn experience or those who want a refresher.

Here is a great place for those hesitant about using controlled fire to start learning the skills needed to confidently use fire on their land.

This training follows the guidelines of the Wisconsin Prescribed Fire Council. Successful participation in this training, plus working on two TPE burns as an apprentice, provides qualifications to be a new crew member on TPE burns. Check out our event announcement for more details.

Line crews and UTVs set to start prescribed fire.

Two crews prepare for prescribed burn of prairie.

Build Skills While Giving Back

Volunteering with groups like the Prairie Enthusiasts of Nature Conservancy will give you the experience and confidence to put controlled burn to work for you on your property.

2017

February 2017

Friday, 10 February 2017

12:23 February 10, 2017 12:23 by conser36_wp

Fired Up for Spring

Crew prepares for burn

The Nature Conservancy, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the US Fish and Wildlife Service are now accepting applications to attend their Spring Prescribed Fire Training Exchanges (WI-TREX). Applications must be completed by February 24, 2017.

These trainings are organized as an incident, using the Incident Command System. Participants will:

serve in qualified and trainee firefighting positions on a burn team
assist with preparing, scouting, briefing, igniting, holding, mop-up, and patrol on numerous controlled burns in the area
complete pre- and post-fire monitoring
train with various equipment
practice fireline leadership skills, and
learn about local fire ecology and management.

Email Eric Mark with the Nature Conservancy to register or to get more information .

2016

October 2016

Sunday, 16 October 2016

08:42 October 16, 2016 08:42 by conser36_wp

Why We Burn

Crew prepares for burn The Illinois Prescribed Fire Council recently released a comprehensive report on the controlled burning state of that state. In its Illinois Fire Needs Assessment, the group details the reasons for prescribed burning, the number or acres currently being managed with fire, as well as the acreage that would benefit.

According to the report, only 1/8th of the needed acres are currently actively being managed with prescribed fire. Because of this, much of the habit acreage in Illinois is ecologically degrading. Approximately 20% of the current habitat acreage is so degraded that it will not currently support prescribed fire.

Rather than giving up the report makes specific recommendations that are relevant for private landowners and public land managers across the midwest. Among these are increasing public support for private landowners, in the form of training and mentorship so that they have the knowledge and skills needed to manage their property.

For more information on prescribed burning check out the Illinois Nature Conservancy prescribed fire FAQ page.

March 2016

Saturday, 26 March 2016

20:57 March 26, 2016 20:57 by conser36_wp

Opening Day

Sunday was the first day of burn season. Okay, it was the first day of burn season for me. The truth is my fellow burn buddies in The Prairie Enthusiasts started without me on Friday. Worse, because many of them are retired, they will be burning on Monday and Tuesday while I am punching a time clock.

Burn season is that magical time in early spring between winter brush season and fishing season. Throughout the winter, on days when the weather permits, chainsaws, brush saws and loppers reclaim neglected southern Wisconsin shrub-land to a semblance of the prairie and savanna that settlers found when the arrived nearly two hundred years ago. Brush clearing drives away the winter doldrums, but it is fire that makes the magic.

Fire from prescribed burns is needed to keep the invasive shrubs and aggressive trees like boxelder and black locust at bay. Most trees and shrubs do hot tolerate fire. Their bark burns and the sap layers beneath are destroyed, killing the woody plants. Some trees and a very few shrubs tolerate fire. For millennia, bur oaks, white oaks and hickory have used their tough bark to protect them.

Before European settlement, lighting and fires set by Native Americans keep the prairies and savannas of southern Wisconsin clear. Today, that task falls to public land managers, private landowners and volunteer groups like the Pheasants Forever, Quail Society, Prairie Enthusiasts and Nature Conservancy.

We meet up at the barn at noon and within a half hour a dozen hearty soles are at the first burn unit getting our briefing. Weather is perfect, northwest winds 10-15 mph with relative humidity in the mid 40s means the fire will be manageable, even on the steep slope that makes up our first unit.

A pair of sandhill cranes move off the marsh scared by the commotion of a dozen humans even before flames light up the hillside. They are just beginning their nest building and have not begun laying eggs. Enough unburnt spots will remain in the marsh for them to rebuild a nest in time to raise their family.

The burns continue through the afternoon, right up to sunset. We burn two upland hillside units and a third large marsh area, which has six test wells that must be protected from the flames. All goes according to plan, with the final fire line being closed off as the sun set over the ridge.

Most days I keep my Nomex hood pulled up over my cheeks and nose to protect them from the flames. Today, however, it is the chill wind that keeps my face covered, especially as our crew is forced to wait to light off the upwind side of the marsh unit.

With luck, burn season will continue until Mother’s Day weekend and opening day of fishing season. For everything there truly is a season and a time to every purpose. Helping to restore balance to the land is what conservation is all about and looking over that valley ready for its spring rebirth makes me feel blessed.