- Prescribed burns are low burning fires that are intentionally set in wildlands, such as forests and prairies, by trained firefighters under specific weather conditions. These low burning fires give off less heat than wildfires, and they burn grass, shrubs, and dead plant materials rather than trees.
- In order for a prescribed burn to occur the weather needs to be warm enough but not too hot, there must be no rain, snow, or other precipitation, there should be low to moderate humidity, and low wind speeds.
- These conditions allow the fire management team to safely manage and control the fire’s movement as they are conducting the burn.
- Prescribed burning has been historically used by indigenous people to help restore natural resources to wildlands.
- Among local, state, and federal agencies, prescribed burns have become more common as a land management tool to maintain the health of wildlands, reduce the potential for wildfires, and improve the environment for wildlife.
When do prescribed burns happen? (Weir, 2017; Ohio Department of Natural Resources, n.d.)
- Because prescribed burns must be conducted under specific weather conditions, fire management teams usually wait to conduct these burns until certain times in the year when the weather is likely to meet these conditions.
- This timeframe may vary slightly depending on the geographic area where the burn is being conducted. Many prescribed burns occur during spring (March and April) and fall (October and November), while some may occur in late winter.
How often are prescribed burns happening? (Kittler, 2022; Melvin, 2020)
- The U.S. Forest Service has estimated that 4,000-5,000 prescribed burns are conducted each year by federal land management agencies (e.g., National Park Service), but this does not include prescribed burns conducted by other groups (e.g., state and county agencies).
- According to a 2020 national report from the National Association of State Foresters and the Coalition of Prescribed Fire Councils, about 10 million acres of wildland were treated with a prescribed burn across the United States in 2019. This represents a 28% increase from within the past decade (Melvin, 2020).
- Prescribed burns have become more common as a land management tool because they can help maintain the health of wildlands, reduce the potential for wildfires, and improve the environment for wildlife.
Where are prescribed burns conducted? (USDA Forest Service, n.d.-b; North Carolina State University, 2021; Melvin, 2020)
- Fire management teams decide where to conduct a prescribed burn by studying an area ahead of time. They may choose to conduct prescribed burns in areas they find to be at a higher risk for wildfires compared to other areas. These areas are at a higher risk because they have a lot of vegetation (e.g., overgrown shrubs, pine needles, grasses, fallen logs, and dead plant materials) that, if ignited, can burn and lead to wildfires. By conducting a prescribed burn, fire management teams can burn up and reduce this vegetation under a controlled situation.
- Fire management teams may also choose to conduct prescribed burns in areas that need regeneration to improve the health of plants, trees, and other vegetation, or to make the land more suitable for wildlife that in turn, support the health of these wildlands.
- Prescribed burns take place across the U.S. on public lands, like state and national forests, and private lands, like those owned by corporations, private organizations, and individual landowners.
- In 2019, states in the Northeast collectively burned the fewest acres of land (365,306 acres) while states in the Southeast collectively burned the most (5,933,022 acres).
How long does a prescribed burn last?
- Prescribed burns usually last for 2-3 days while the area would be closed off to the public for 3-5 days.
How many prescribed burns “escape” or become uncontrolled?
The U.S. Forest Service estimates that 4,000-5,000 prescribed burns are completed by federal agencies, with 99% of these burns staying within the planned area (Kittler, 2022). Federal and state agencies do everything in their power to reduce the risk of a prescribed burn turning into a wildfire. They avoid burning during dry parts of the year and only burn when wind speed and direction are best for a prescribed burn (Butikofer & Isom, 2022).
How does a prescribed burn compare to an open burn, controlled burn, wildfire, and wildland fire?
- Prescribed burns are low burning fires that are intentionally set in wildlands, such as forests and prairies, by trained firefighters under specific weather conditions.
- Prescribed burns are sometimes called ‘controlled fires,’ but ‘prescribed burn’ is a more accurate term. Controlled fire, or a controlled burn, is a fire that anyone sets with an intention to control it, like a campfire (Western Fire Chiefs Association, 2023).
- Open burns are the burning of unwanted materials like paper, trees, trash, brush, and leaves, usually by individuals with little planning involved. Open burning is not the same as prescribed burning, which involves a lot of planning (Environmental Protection Agency, 2001).
- A wildfire is an “unplanned, unwanted fire burning in a natural area” (Federal Emergency Management Agency, n.d.).
- A wildland fire is a general term to describe any fire that takes place in nature – including prescribed burns and wildfires (National Park Service, 2022).