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15. Effective Application of Prescribed Burning
- Texas A&M University Press
- Chapter
- Additional Information
15 Effective Application of Prescribed Burning Prescribed burning remains one of the most feasible ways to manipulate vegetation for rangeland management and restoration of natural communities and is, therefore, an important tool for land managers. However, the actual application of this tool still leaves many managers with more questions than answers concerning the best approach to safe and effective use of the practice . How, in a “real world” situation, do you install a prescribed burn? What are the variables that you need to know and interpret correctly before you burn? How do you actually determine that the necessary preburn parameters are met? What specific guidelines are helpful? More variables are now being used in prescriptions, and smoke management is becoming an increasingly critical issue. Prescribed burning in Texas is no longer confined to the winter months, and is now often used during summer and fall months. Land managers will often come to the conclusion (and rightfully so) that there are many interacting factors that contribute to a complex state-of-theart system and impact their decision for use of prescribed burning. This chapter deals with examples of the preburn variables that must be quantified and interpreted correctly and how such measurements can be made. It also discusses ways that land managers can find the assistance needed for developing prescribed burning programs for their resources and provides key literature references. Texas law clearly provides that landowners can burn on their own land in accordance with the rules for outdoor burning from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. However, the information contained in this chapter is not intended to prepare people to do a prescribed burn, but rather to illustrate the important variables involved and how they are measured. If you have not been trained so that you fully understand the variables that influence fire behavior and how to measure and interpret them, get assistance . If you do not have actual experience from hands-on participation in prescribed burns planned and conducted by competent professionals, get assistance. Because you started a fire and burned an area of your land without a negative incident does not constitute adequate training for planning and managing prescribed fire. Every burn is different and must be apB . Keith Blair, Jeffrey C. Sparks, and Joe Franklin 187 proached with a good understanding of the interacting influences of the many fuel and environmental variables on fire behavior. Where Can You Get Assistance? There are competent contractors available in the state who can help landowners by planning and installing prescribed burns. More will be said about these certified prescribed burn managers and the increasing role they will play in implementing the use of fire in our natural resources. In the past, the Texas Forest Service and Texas Parks and Wildlife have been very helpful to landowners in the conduct of burns and other state and federal agencies have provided assistance as they could. However, most of these agencies have reexamined their roles in prescribed fire on private lands. Prescribed burning associations are becoming a more practical way for many landowners to obtain needed assistance. Prescribed Burning Associations It is difficult for state and federal agencies to meet the prescribed burning needs throughout Texas. This is due largely to reductions in staff; program driven initiatives; and an increase in the number of private landowners, both the total number and those who are interested in the use of prescribed fire on their land. It has become very apparent that other avenues are needed to meet the demand for prescribed burning. Increasing recognition is being given to the benefits for landowners who become part of a prescribed burning association. Several burning associations have been established and more are in the early stages of development. The members are primarily local landowners and are assisted by local, federal, and state agencies. An excellent example of an effective prescribed burning association is the Edwards Plateau Prescribed Burning Association (EPPBA). The EPPBA was established in 1997 and covers six counties with over 100 landowner members. Meetings have been held at other locations in the Texas Hill Country to determine if landowners wanted to form an association similar to the EPPBA. Landowners from the northern Edwards Plateau and the Hill Country have shown interest in forming an association. Associations are an excellent way to establish a base of crew members, equipment, and experience that are needed for prescribed burns. It is our opinion that burning associations will be the leading...