Newswise — Land managers know the benefits of prescribed burning of fields, grasslands, and forests, but finding an appropriate time to conduct a burn can pose a problem. If weather doesn’t cooperate in the typical late winter/early spring time frame, a burn may be put off until another year. This can cause increased costs when workload and land management goals are not met.
An article in the current issue of Rangelands asks land managers to question the timing of prescribed burns. Weather is an understandable factor, but it is tradition that dictates a single season for conducting burns. Tying burns to these late winter and early spring months can create missed opportunities.
The traditional burn season of the Great Plains is based on the time of year when plants and crops are dormant. However, the weather is most variable during this time, leaving fewer choices of days to safely and effectively conduct a prescribed burn.
The author used Oklahoma Mesonet weather data—a system of 120 weather stations located throughout the state that constantly records weather variables—to determine the best time frames for burns. Data from January 1994 to December 2007 recorded at one specific site near Stillwater, Oklahoma, provide the basis for this study.
When temperature, humidity, wind velocity, and precipitation conditions met acceptable parameters for a 3-hour period, a “burn day” was declared. Within these 14 years of weather data, an average of 222 days per year met the conditions as acceptable for prescribed burning. However, the fewest number of these available burn days were in February, a month traditionally used for burns. March and April, the other months of the traditional burn season, also had the fewest available days.
July had the most available days to safely and effectively burn, followed by August and September. Burns are actually less risky at this time of year. Plants and grasses are moist and green, making a less intense and more slowly moving fire. This means a reduced chance of flames escaping and starting a wildfire.
Conducting prescribed burns year-round would allow for better planning and a wider variety of optimal days. Additionally, the impacts of burning, such as the amount of smoke created, could be spread throughout the year rather than concentrated within a few months. The time is ripe for fire managers to abandon tradition and consider the benefits of burning in all seasons.
Full text of the article, “Are Weather and Tradition Reducing Our Ability to Conduct Prescribed Burns?” Rangelands, Vol. 13, No. 1, February 2011, is available at http://www.srmjournals.org/doi/full/10.2111/RANGELANDS-D-10-00050.1
About RangelandsRangelands is a full-color publication of the Society for Range Management published six times per year. Each issue of Rangelands features scientific articles, book reviews, and society news. Additionally, readers may find youth, technology, and policy departments. The journal provides a forum for readers to get scientifically correct information in a user friendly, non-technical format. Rangelands is intended for a wide range of individuals, including educators, students, rangeland owners and managers, researchers, and policy leaders. The journal is available online at www.srmjournals.org. To learn more about the society, please visit www.rangelands.org.
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