Prescribed Burn & Fire's Role in the Gulf Coastal Prairie
Centuries before ever encountering Europeans, Native Americans were intentionally setting fire to their fields and hunting grounds. Their purpose was to apply a prescribed burn: a fire that would clear the field of any large trees that would compete with grasses, recycle nutrients back into the soil, and create succession which would attract grazing herds following the field's recovery. This was one of the first instances of Slash & Burn farming to appear in human history, except Native Americans were aware they were doing more than maintaining healthy agricultural fields; they were keeping prairies in existence. Tall Grass Prairie Photo
On Flora
Gulf coastal prairies are mainly comprised of incredibly tall grasses, some growing up to over 3 meters in height. A common species is the Andropogon gerardii, or "Big Bluestem" (pictured lower-left.) Most tall grasses house their roots over 3 feet underground, and they grow from this point-- an adaptation that allows them to survive both foragers and fires that consume the upper three quarters of their structure.The reason that prescribed burns work is that fire does not kill these plants that dominate the prairie landscape. Fire kills trees, however, which explains why prescribed burn maintains the authenticity and livelihood of a prairie. Blg Bluestem Grass Photo
On Flora
Gulf coastal prairies are mainly comprised of incredibly tall grasses, some growing up to over 3 meters in height. A common species is the Andropogon gerardii, or "Big Bluestem" (pictured lower-left.) Most tall grasses house their roots over 3 feet underground, and they grow from this point-- an adaptation that allows them to survive both foragers and fires that consume the upper three quarters of their structure.The reason that prescribed burns work is that fire does not kill these plants that dominate the prairie landscape. Fire kills trees, however, which explains why prescribed burn maintains the authenticity and livelihood of a prairie. Blg Bluestem Grass Photo
On Fauna
Most animals which inhabit the gulf coastal prairie rely on it for its large cloaking grasses and scarce trees. Prairie chickens, small mammals and reptiles hide in them because they make the mpractically invisible to predators. Without fire, many prairies succumb to invasive trees, and the landscape loses its sanctity towards its more furtive inhabitants. The prairie, as a whole, relies on fire to inhibit the growth of trees and the excessive success of predators.
Before their mass extermination, buffalo offered a massive ecosystem service to prairies. Grazing herds of buffalo once flocked to gulf coastal prairies. Today, prescribed fires are used to replicate the consuming power of a buffalo herd.
Most animals which inhabit the gulf coastal prairie rely on it for its large cloaking grasses and scarce trees. Prairie chickens, small mammals and reptiles hide in them because they make the mpractically invisible to predators. Without fire, many prairies succumb to invasive trees, and the landscape loses its sanctity towards its more furtive inhabitants. The prairie, as a whole, relies on fire to inhibit the growth of trees and the excessive success of predators.
Before their mass extermination, buffalo offered a massive ecosystem service to prairies. Grazing herds of buffalo once flocked to gulf coastal prairies. Today, prescribed fires are used to replicate the consuming power of a buffalo herd.
America's War Against Fire in the 20th Century
As our nation extended further into the desolate Western half of the continent, fire became more and more intrusive on American life. The United States' official policy on fire for most of the 20th century was total prevention. One forest fire could wipe out an entire town of thousands, and so the American government began to stop them from occurring entirely. What was once a natural cycle that guaranteed the survival of prairies and forests alike was now being heavily monitored so as to protect urban growth in New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, California, and several other massively unsettled states.
Advertising campaigns conducted by the USDA Forest Service such as Smokey The Bear (pictured left) promoted public solidarity for fire prevention. While fire prevention was not with malicious intent, it still deprived ecosystems across the continent of a vital component to their cyclical lives.
Environmentalists now understand the importance of fire and its potential as an environmental engineering tool. Controlled burn is now carefully used on prairies and forests to remove underbrush and recycle their nutrients.
"Only you can prevent forest fires", the success of the fire prevention policy along with the Smokey the Bear campaign drastically decreased the rate of wildfires in the United States. Although the policy was mostly directed towards anthropogenic fires, it still generated widespread public fear of fire, and nearly erased fire from the environment. Thankfully, that culture is being undone as the Smokey the Bear campaign has broadened its purpose.
Advertising campaigns conducted by the USDA Forest Service such as Smokey The Bear (pictured left) promoted public solidarity for fire prevention. While fire prevention was not with malicious intent, it still deprived ecosystems across the continent of a vital component to their cyclical lives.
Environmentalists now understand the importance of fire and its potential as an environmental engineering tool. Controlled burn is now carefully used on prairies and forests to remove underbrush and recycle their nutrients.
"Only you can prevent forest fires", the success of the fire prevention policy along with the Smokey the Bear campaign drastically decreased the rate of wildfires in the United States. Although the policy was mostly directed towards anthropogenic fires, it still generated widespread public fear of fire, and nearly erased fire from the environment. Thankfully, that culture is being undone as the Smokey the Bear campaign has broadened its purpose.
Check out this video on how prescribed burns are used in local prairie management.
Modern Prescribed Burn & Why It Won't Work on Wolf Prairie
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Prescribed burns are carefully applied to ecosystems, but only under the correct weather conditions. Fire specialists use the wind to blow the fire in the direction they desire. Of course, they cannot control wind, so they must conduct the burn on a day where they know the weather will assist them, and not interfere.
Obviously, this method of gulf coastal prairie preservation cannot be applied to Wolf Prairie. The procedure is expensive, requires immense planning and training, very specific weather conditions, an of course: Wolf Prairie is simply not in an appropriate location for a controlled burn to take place. It is small, too near to a suburban neighborhood, publicly owned, and, you know, on a high school campus. Although a prescribed burn cannot legally be performed on Wolf Prairie, it still somewhat accurately reflects its image from the past thanks to the many services we can provide it without setting fire to it. |