Prescribed Fires

Paper Summary:

This paper explains prescribed fires are relatively small brush fires, carefully planned and executed, which help the ecosystem by recycling nutrients from old wood and leaves, by controlling insect populations and by preparing the soil for new trees and grasses. The author points out that prescribed fires are not always beneficial because, when conditions are wrong, prescribed fire can severely damage the very resource it was intended to benefit. The paper relates that resource managers have learned to manipulate fire-caused changes in plant and animal communities to meet their needs and those of humankind, while at the same time preserving underlying natural processes and functions.

Table of Contents
Introduction
How it Works
Pros and Cons
Using Small Fires to Prevent Big Fires
The Slash and Burn Method
Concerns
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"Older areas of timber or brush often have significantly more bare ground beneath the older trees because of the increased competition for both water and nutrients. This bare ground is subject to erosion during heavy rains or rapid snow melting, resulting in a loss of soil from the area and increased loadings of sediment in downstream areas. As with wildlife habitat, fire can be utilized to create openings and reduce the density of these older, decadent areas, allowing grasses and shrubs to move back in. The increase in grasses and shrubs can help hold both water and soils in place, reducing the overland flow of water, the loss of soil, and the sedimentation of streams."

More papers on Prescribed Fires:

• Research Paper # 147486 : "Prescribed Fire and Prairie and Forest Herpetofauna"
• Cause and Effect Essay # 109447 : "Shortleaf Pine and Fire"
• Term Paper # 112622 : "Fires in Yellowstone National Park"

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