What is prescribed fire?
Prescribed fire is the controlled application of fire by a team of experts to restore the health of an ecosystem (1).
Prescribed fire is one of the most important tools currently used to manage wildfires. A scientific prescription for each fire, prepared in advance, describes its objectives, fuels, size, the precise environmental conditions under which it will burn, and conditions under which it may be suppressed. The fire may be designed to create a mosaic of diverse habitats for plants and animals, to help endangered species recover, or to reduce fuels and thereby prevent a destructive wildfire (2).
Wild fires have always impacted landscapes across the Americas, leaving evidence of their passing in the biota, soils, fossils, and cultural artifacts. Many ecosystems reflect this long evolutionary history with fire and require periodic fire to maintain species composition and stand structure and function. Prior to the arrival of European settlers, Native Americans also cultivated fire, using it for a wide range of purposes (1,2).
Throughout the 20th century, strict fire suppression policies were adopted to prevent the devastation caused by wildfires. However, this resulted in more overgrown, less resilient forests. As more research became available on the role of fire in ecosystems, it became apparent that years of fire suppression had led to a buildup in fuel which resulted in the opposite effect: more destructive wildfires (2).
Additionally, fire dependent ecosystems are negatively impacted by this fire suppression. Without fire, tree density increases and plant community composition changes. This is especially true for Longleaf Pine Savannas. Species that are adapted to survive fire conditions become crowded out by species that would otherwise not survive in those habitats (1,2).
Historically, most wild fires in Florida would have been started by lightning during summer months, often during particularly dry years (1,2). Before heavy development broke up the continuous forests that stretched across the state, a fire started by a single lightning strike may have travelled hundreds of miles.
While summer might be the Southeast's natural fire season, prescribed burning often occurs outside of these months, when conditions are more favorable for easily controlling fire. Some land managers have started making an effort to burn more during the summer months; however, the majority of research shows that burning in itself is more important than the timing of when those burns occur (1).
(Image from (1) "Prescribed fire in North American forests and woodlands")
Conducting a prescribed burn is no small task. There are many steps that must be carried out to ensure the success of every burn (1,2).
- Planning: Before each burn, a prescription must be written. This includes a description of the area, the objectives for the burn, weather parameters, smoke modeling, list of personnel and equipment, communication plan, medical plan, and list of contacts.
- Prepping: Preparations must be made ahead of time to ensure that the fire will remain in the designated area. Fire breaks must be established around the perimeter and hazards must be identified and removed from the area.
- Burning: Before burning, authorization must be approved through the Florida Forest Service. If conditions are right and authorization is received, the crew will gather with all their equipment for a briefing, given by the burn supervisor. After everyone is briefed and has agreed to participate, a test fire is lit. If the fire behavior during the test looks like it will meet the objectives, the crew will continue as planned. If not, it is shut down and put out.
- Mop-Up: A critical part of every burn, mop-up consists of ensuring all flaming or smoking material is fully extinguished. A distance around the perimeter is usually established for complete mop-up and any additional concerns are addressed. After mop-up is complete, a debrief and after action review are completed to assess the effectiveness of the operation. The fire area is consistently monitored until it is completely out.
Since NATL is surrounded on all sides by densely urban areas, prescribed burning can be challenging. Extra precautions are always taken to ensure that burns remain safe and under control.
Burning only occurs on days with perfect conditions. The NATL team preps the designated area by clearing vegetation around trees and snags, removing signs, prepping fire breaks and closing all trails in the surrounding area. Signs are placed at each entrance to alert visitors to the presence of smoke in the area, which may irritate the throat and lungs. A representative from each of the surrounding buildings is notified of the burn and designated to pass on the information to the rest of their organization. Additionally, the Gainesville Police Department and Gainesville County Fire Department are notified.
Once a burn has finished, the NATL team diligently monitors the area to ensure that mop-up was successful. The site is visited multiple times throughout the night and the following day. Burn prescriptions are uploaded to the Documents & Records section of our webpage, where they can be viewed by anyone. For more photos of the NATL team conducting prescribed burns in the natural area, see our Fire Photo Gallery.
