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Prescribed Burning, Native Grassland Survival
David J. Kraft
April '09
David J. Kraft is State Rangeland
Management Specialist, USDA Natural Resources
Conservation Service, Emporia, Kansas
As common as the smell of a spring rain,
is the sight and smell of a prescribed burn, signaling
the entry of spring and a new growing season in the
Great Plains.
Without a doubt, fire has played an
integral part in the development of native grasslands,
throughout the central United States. As native grass
acres continue to decrease through time, prescribed
burning activities and the use of fire remains as
important today as a maintenance tool, equal to or
greater than times past.
The use of fire has many purposes and
reasons for use. Even though differing opinions for the
use of fire exist. There are very few who wouldn’t
agree that if these once vast prairies are to persist,
fire will need to be a part of their management.
To understand the present need for fire
it is important to know the past. As European, early
American, and post Columbian development or occupation
spread from the East to the West Coast it was well noted
that fire was prevalent and commonly witnessed. Some of
the fires were certainly caused by natural events, but
some were no doubt started with a purpose.
One important detail to understand is the
difference from an impact point of view, between a
natural fire and prescribed fire. Many natural fires
occurred in the past when climatic conditions allowed
for the ignition and spread of fire. Without a doubt
the results, stemming from an uncontrolled or natural
fire environment, were capable of being more
environmentally impactful at least from a vegetation
standpoint. These fires still occur today but are more
of a result of fire starved plant communities saturated
with fuels of a volatile nature.
From a planned or prescribed fire point
of view acres to be burned, fuel, and conditions in
which the fire is to be conducted are planned with an
objective in mind. Safety is an extremely vital part of
the burn prescription, which many times prevents natural
or reclamation impacts at the plant community level.
This isn’t a knock on prescribed burn planning, but a
reality of an ever changing burn culture and climate.
Within the state of Kansas both fire
starved and fire frequency rich plant communities
exist. Producers ultimately decide the objective for
which fire is used. Depending upon the identified
objective, producers or land managers will and have
dictated the timing, frequency, and extent for which
fire is used.
Again it is important to re-identify that
most points of view agree that fire is needed. Within
that agreement or common ground, there exist differing
ideas of frequency, timing, and resulting impacts.
To minimize the differing points of view
it is extremely important for prescribed burn users to
properly identify their objectives and plan their burn
accordingly. It is also important to understand that by
just making the earth black, not all objectives will be
met.
Commonly identified prescribed burn
objectives range from improved animal performance,
grazing distribution problems, invasive woody species,
fuel loading or extensive fuel loads, to wildlife
habitat management. Within each one of those objectives
is the understanding that in order to maintain a native
plant community which is either, comparable to a
historic climax plant community or an image of it, fire
is a necessity. Each objective will most likely contain
different prescriptions in that timing, frequency, and
fuel loads may vary.
One thing is certain, the landscape in
which prescribed burning or fire is used, is ever
changing. Within the changing landscape is more
fragmented grassland. New homes or developments now
make more difficult the use of prescribed burning.
Another reality on the horizon is the
impact that prescribed burning has been identified as
having on air quality. Pro-active responses from the
prescribed burning community will be necessary as the
protection or the use of prescribed burning is debated.
Common ground will most likely need to be
focused on which enhances both understanding and the
needs of a resource or plant community under threat.
What will prescribed burning activities
look like in the future? One can only guess. It would
be my hope the smell of native grass fires will exist
from a land management standpoint into the future. With
the absence of this long used tool the once vast native
grasslands of the central United States will fail to
survive.
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