Prescribed Fire, Why Wouldn't You?

For those of you who don't know, I'm working on my master's degree at Oklahoma State University in Natural Resource Ecology and Management, focusing on rangeland management and fire ecology (prescribed fire).

Spring is coming up which means the main burning season is here, from now on when I say "burning" I'm talking about prescribed fire....forgive me in advance, I might go on a little rant here, this is something I'm kind of passionate about.

Prescribed fire is a fire lit for a purpose, with a prescription to do some good to the land, wildlife and livestock. Prescribed fire can be used for land restoration and land management. Most ecosystems on this earth evolved with fire, therefore with lack of fire problems arise.

For instance eastern red cedar encroachment. Eastern redcedars are in fact native to Oklahoma, but they are native to creeks and rock outcroppings (canyons). They are not native to prairies and cross timbers ecosystems. This is why they are not classified as an invasive species, but rather encroaching species because they are encroaching into areas they are not native. I will post eastern redcedar facts in another blog post.

The reason our state and much of the Midwest is noticing an eastern redcedar problem is due to lack of fire. But why, why don't we burn anymore? The Native Americans burned to keep the prairies open, for wildlife, for hunting, for grazing animals, the list goes on.

Prescribed fire provides higher quality forage for cattle, so why don't ranchers burn more? Burning not only keeps woody species from encroaching into their grazing area, prevents invasive species, but it also provides higher quality of forage for their livestock, so why not?

It makes me sick when I see a pasture full of 2-4' eastern redcedars when they could conduct one burn and wipe them all out. Instead they either let them grow, try to individually cut each little cedar down with a chain saw or try to brush hog them. Burning is the most cost effective and most productive form of land management a manager can use.

The main reason people don't burn is fear of fire, lack of equipment and lack of knowledge.

Fear can be cured with a little education.

Lack of equipment can be helped with the many prescribed burn associations in Oklahoma. And in many cases you do not need a lot of equipment to successfully burn.

Lack of knowledge can be cured through extension.

In addition to the higher forage quality, preventing invasive species and preventing woody species encroachment. Prescribed fire is also wonderful for wildlife. Prescribed fire is necessary for some wildlife specialists that require a certain type of habitat to reside in an area. Almost all native wildlife species benefit from fire. It burns off old growth, allowing in sunlight and water which promotes new growth. It also promotes seed germination.

Often times you can see wildlife flourishing on a burn patch, just hours after burning.

That's enough ranting, sorry. :)

Burning season has begun and I am so excited to start burning this spring!

Here are a few burning pictures I have accumulated.


This is a fire in southeastern Kansas...look at those cedars roast!!!

This is the same fire, torching out some more cedars!

This is a fire out at the OSU Range Station.

This is a cedar that was torched!

We went back and lit mature cedars on fire after a burn.

This one was on the cover of Cowboy Journal magazine.

This is a burn out at the OSU Range Station.

This is a burn in southeastern Kansas.

This is a burn out at the OSU Range Station.

This is Adam lighting a fire in southeastern Kansas.

This is a burn out at the OSU Range Station.

This is a burn in southeastern Kansas, we were in the process of backing up, she was getting hot!

And last but not least, this is a smoke whirl from a burn!

So when you see smoke everywhere this spring, don't flip out, it's probably a prescribed burn, keeping the land pretty and the animals thriving!