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WILDLAND FIRES – PLANNING, PLANNING, PLANNING (page 4)
I leave Debbi’s account with sadness in my heart for the animals that were lost and for what she and her fellow firefighters endured. Twenty-seven years later, her memories remain all too vivid. It’s heartbreaking to realize that many other wildland firefighters have similar tales to tell.
Wildland Fires can be Dangerous, but are they all Bad?
As a
point of interest, the Florida State Parks conduct controlled burns as a
means of fire management. In a news update, a reporter explained, “Prescribed
burning mimics natural fire cycles, improving habitat for native plants and
animals and reducing the harmful effects of wildfire. Certain endangered
species not only benefit from fire, but will decline in its absence.”
Pat Muskevitsch, wife of “one of the best soldiers in the Army,” sent me this photo and explained, “Fort Stewart’s Department of Forestry regularly burns off the brush and dead wood on the installation. It is accepted forestry practice to prevent future uncontrolled fires and to enhance the pine harvest. From my understanding of controlled burning, it is also beneficial to the wildlife. Ash replenishes the soil and encourages new growth of grasses and growing plants. There are some plant species whose seeds cannot germinate unless burned. Before modern man came along, natural fires burned unchecked and the ecosystems affected were healthier for them in the long run.” With a BS degree in Conservation and Wildlife Management with a double major in Biology, Pat knows what she’s talking about. For 18 years she taught high school classes in biology, anatomy and physiology, environmental science, physical science, chemistry, physics and astronomy. Pat and her husband are retiring to Louisiana, where Pat has a 6-stall barn that she’s going to modify to make as fire safe as possible.
