Using Prescribed Fire as a Restoration Tool
From the time of European settlement onward, fire has been assiduously excluded from the landscape. As a result of that and other poor land management practices, quality grassland habitat that once covered a great deal of the more-level topography in our area has shrunk to a mere fraction of its original extent. Grassland habitat that remains is often overrun with invasive exotic grass species like tall fescue, Festuca arundinacea, or native woody species like sweetgum, Liquidambar styraciflua. These species are not adapted to regular disturbance by fires like our native grassland species. The reintroduction of fire to the landscape can be an effective tool for vital habitat restoration, especially for grasslands, which are some of the most biologically diverse ecosystems.
The Reflection Riding landscape is a collection of several different habitat types, each with their own assemblages of plant species. Grasslands, like our Pinetum, Jump Field, or Sheet’s Sward for example, are habitats that depend upon regular disturbance to keep them in a state of early ecological succession. Currently, mowing is the most common form of disturbance used to keep grasslands open, and while it may be effective, it brings a host of problems with it. Mowing with equipment compacts the soil, causes erosion, and promotes the introduction of invasive species. Fire, on the other hand, accomplishes the same goal of keeping grasslands open, but also promotes a healthy, native, biodiverse ecosystem. Most of the species that occur in our grasslands, such as little bluestem grass, Schizachyrium scoparium, are adapted to thrive with a fire disturbance regime. As fires are an integral part of a functioning healthy ecosystem, Reflection Riding uses prescribed fire as an ecological management tool to promote native biodiversity.
For more information on southeastern grasslands, check out Southeastern Grasslands Initiative.
How do we, as conservation-minded land managers, reintroduce this important habitat management tool? The answer is VERY CAREFULLY! The scheduling and implementation of prescribed fires is highly weather dependent. A strict set of parameters for criteria including ambient air temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed and direction are set out in a written burn prescription. Units to be burned are prepared by constructing fire breaks around their perimeters and clearing away ground fuels from standing dead trees, downed brush and debris, or other hazards. Specialized tools like rakes or fire swatters are used to help control the fire. Drip torches are used to create reliable ignition patterns, and ATV mounted tanks allow for rapid application of water should the need arise during the burn. A cold mop-up of any smoldering fuels is conducted at the end of ignition operations. Overall, the utmost care is taken when using fire as a restoration tool.
In January 2022 Reflection Riding conducted several small-scale burns, including the native grass planted berm behind the nursery and a stand of river cane, Arundinaria gigantea, near the entrance to the boardwalk. A full-scale restoration burn was conducted in the area immediately in front of the Pavilion (near the upper “Bamboo Forest”), complete with two coordinated crews commencing ignition on the leeward side of the area and meeting on the windward side. The excellent fire behaviour and consumption of fine fuels should result in increased native grasses and forbs, and a reduction in invasive species there this coming growing season.
More burns are planned for this year, so the next time you see smoke or a newly blackened area, just know that ecological restoration is taking place. If you have any questions about prescribed fires, and how they can help shape the landscape, please contact our Invasive Species Specialist and Rx Burn Manager Byron Brooks at Byron@reflectionriding.org or our Director of Land Conservation Scotty Smith at Scotty@reflectionriding.org.