Controlled burns

Personally I have not had a great deal of experience with wildfire. I grew up in Central Oregon where wildfires thrive in the summer months. A combination of excess fuel, and hot and dry conditions lead to large fires every year. The forest service routinely conducted prescribed burns to reduce the amount of available fuel in some areas, however, large wildfires still did occur. Growing up on a ranch we regularly used fire as a management tool for our pastures. As soon as I could walk I would join in to help burn our pastures and ditches to reduce the buildup of old and ungrazed plant material. These prescribed burns had two major purposes. First, it reduced the amount of old and unpalatable forage for our livestock. Over time larger shrubs and invasive species would develop and compete with the native grasses. This helped to alleviate the problem and also led to the growth of healthier grasses the next year. The second major purpose of these burns was to reduce the risk of wildfire near our property. Our property was bordered by two other farms and BLM land. The neighboring farmers burned their pastures occasionally and the BLM property nearby would occasionally catch fire. One year a grass fire was accidently started on BLM land which burned out of control and made its way to our ranch. The dry grasses and sagebrush burned very quickly due to a light breeze. Once the fire reached our green grassy pastures, however, it was easily extinguished.

Controlled burns I feel are an important management tool in both forests and ranges and I think that every property owner should take the time to reduce the risk of wildfire on their property by keeping available fuel to a minimum and taking steps to protect their family, livestock, and homes.

        Here's a prescribed burn I witnessed this summer in the north unit of Theodore Roosevelt          National Park in western North Dakota.

-Cody Mecham