Prescribe burns – Part 2

Fall promotes an ideal window of opportunity for prescribed fire operations. These optimum conditions for prescribed burning are noticeably cooler temperatures, a rise in relative humidity, higher fuel moisture, and predictable winds. All of this together achieves a low intensity burn to consume an overload of dead ground fuels in a controlled manner.
Chief Deputy Apache County Sheriff’s Office, Brannon Eagar said, “This is the time of year when Fire Management personnel have the best conditions to introduce prescribed fire on our forests. The amount of dead ground fuels is so great in some areas that wildlife or people can’t even walk through it. Prescribed fire helps to ensure better grazing for cattle, habitat for wildlife and helps to restore our watersheds. For the health of our forests we must get used to having prescribed fire and the resulting smoke in the air as our forests depend on fire to regenerate and remain healthy.”
As highly trained firefighters place fire on the ground they know what patterns to use to help get the desired effect and manipulate the fire’s behavior in achieving a low intensity burn. Over 99% of prescribed fires are successfully held within the planned perimeters.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *