ROLLA, Mo. -- Spring fire season is upon us, and the USDA Forest Service - Mark Twain National Forest (MTNF) will be working to make this another successful season of prescribed burning. As weather allows in 2018, MTNF employees plan to burn approximately 40,000 acres across Missouri to promote healthy forests and glades.
Prescribed fires are used to reduce the threat of wildfire and to improve the health of native plants and wildlife habitat in Missouri. Deer, turkey, quail and other species benefit when plants they depend on for food and cover are rejuvenated by the use of prescribed fire.
What is prescribed fire?
A prescribed fire is a fire ignited by highly-trained firefighting personnel under very specific fuel and weather conditions.
"Our personnel maintain wildland firefighting qualifications, and work closely with our neighbors and partners, to conduct prescribed burns effectively, efficiently, and most importantly--safely," stated MTNF's Fire Management Officer Jim Cornelius.
Each prescribed burn will be conducted when favorable atmospheric conditions exist. These weather conditions disperse the smoke quickly and minimize smoke impacts to local communities. Although some smoke may be visible and affect nearby communities, agencies work closely with the National Weather Service and use smoke monitoring stations to predict potential smoke impacts. This enables prescribed burn planners to keep the smoke generated by the fire within federal and state air quality standards.
Signs will be posted on roads and trails near prescribed fire operations when burning is in progress. If you encounter smoke on the highway, please: slow down; turn on your vehicle's lights; and drive cautiously, looking out for firefighting equipment and other vehicles that may be stopped along the road. Neighboring landowners will be contacted prior to ignitions.
MTNF develops burn plans for prescribed fires that include criteria used to make burn-day decisions. Criteria used to minimize smoke impacts include--but are not limited to-- temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, wind direction, plants' moisture levels, and terrain. Burn plans also outline strategies to promote smoke dilution and dispersion by controlling the rate of smoke emissions, and minimizing smoke output by applying appropriate burning techniques.
How is prescribed fire used?
Prescribed fires will be lit by hand crews, and some will be lit by helicopter operations as well. Burn objectives are primarily to reduce the fuel loading in the hardwood ecosystems, while stimulating the grass/forbs plant community and maintaining open areas in glade and prairie ecosystems. The planned burns mimic the historical fire occurrence for the areas in which they are planned.
MTNF uses prescribed fire to achieve resource benefits that promote wildlife habitat and the success of native plants.
In some places, the prescribed fire also allows for efficient clearing of vistas around popular recreation areas. Only a year after a prescribed fire, plants begin making their way up from the soil; and wildflowers are blooming in an area around a recreation site cleared of underbrush. This creates beautiful vistas for our visitors to enjoy for many years after each prescribed fire.
MTNF works closely with other federal and state land managers and some non-profit and private landowners as partners in the spring prescribed burn efforts. The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is one example of these strong partnerships. TNC works closely with many partners and landowners to connect, protect, and restore areas suitable for maintaining strong, healthy natural communities in Missouri and uses fire as a tool to promote ecosystem restoration on its land.
Want to get involved?
The Missouri Division of Fire Safety encourages anyone interested in firefighting to consider being part of the strong volunteer firefighting tradition in Missouri. Currently, a Veteran's Initiative recruitment is underway across the state for Volunteer Fire Departments (VFDs). They have a program which will identify interested and eligible veterans and provide them with the information and tools to pursue fulfilling careers and volunteer opportunities in the fire service. Visit the website at https://dfs.dps.mo.gov/programs/other/mo-fire-fighter-veterans-initiative.php to learn more.
On private land, burning of brush piles and using prescribed fire for land restoration and maintaining healthy ecosystems is a valuable tool that requires education and practice to conduct safely. Landowners can learn more about how to properly conduct prescribed burns on their property by visiting Missouri Department of Conservation's website at www.mdc.mo.gov/property/fire-management/prescribed-fire, and signing up for one of the multiple prescribed burn classes that MDC provides for free to the public, in various cities across the state, throughout the year.
If you are a private landowner living adjacent to the MTNF, please contact your local Ranger District (contact information is online at www.fs.usda.gov/detail/mtnf/about-forest/offices) to discuss the possibility of agreements with the Forest Service to assist in burning of your land as part of a Forest Service prescribed burn.
If you have questions about prescribed fire being conducted by Mark Twain National Forest, please contact Cody Norris at 573-341-7405. MTNF also coordinates closely with the Ozark National Scenic Riverways as they conduct prescribed burns. For more information about prescribed burns at Ozark Riverways or to be included on the park's notification list, contact Dena Matteson at 573-323-4814.