Controlled burn

A controlled burn or prescribed burn is the careful practice of setting a small, planned fire to change plants and materials on the land. This helps with forest management, ecological restoration, clearing land, or reducing the chance of big, dangerous wildfires like wildfire. Controlled burns are also called hazard reduction burning, backfire, swailing, or a burn-off.

These burns are done during cooler months to reduce the amount of dry plants and materials that could fuel a larger fire later. The heat from a controlled burn can help some trees grow by opening their cones to release seeds and by showing important minerals in the soil that help new plants grow strong. In grasslands, these burns help bring back native grasses and plants.

Fire has always been a natural part of forests and grasslands, and for thousands of years, many indigenous people used controlled burns to help the land stay healthy and grow useful plants. In places like North America and Australia, rules made long ago stopped these practices, but now experts are bringing them back to better manage the land and prevent big wildfires.

Uses

Controlled burning is a way to safely use fire to help manage land. It can be used in forests to reduce materials that might fuel bigger fires, help animals find better homes, and even help certain trees grow by clearing out other plants.

In grasslands, controlled burns can help bring back local plants by getting rid of unwanted plants. It’s also used to stop big wildfires by reducing the amount of fuel on the ground. In farming, it can clear old crops and weeds, though it can create smoke and pollution. In some places, planned burns help balance plants and grasses, and they can even reduce gases that warm the planet when done in the right way.

Procedure

When planning a controlled burn, it is very important to keep everyone safe, make sure the fire does not spread, and reduce smoke. The main goal is often to protect lives and buildings, but controlled burns can also help nature by changing plant types and ages.

One common way to start a controlled burn is called back burning, where the fire is lit against the wind. This makes the fire move slower and easier to control. It helps create a safe area where the fire cannot spread further. Head fires, lit with the wind, are used when back burning is too slow. In places like Ontario, Canada, only trained people can plan and start these burns. They follow strict steps to make sure everything is safe, including checking the weather and setting up safe areas. During the burn, team members watch the fire closely and put out any remaining embers after the burn is done.

History

There are two main causes of wildfires: natural causes, like lightning, and human activities. Controlled burns have been used for a long time to help manage wildlands. People have used fire to clear land since ancient times. Studies show that indigenous peoples in North America and Australia used fire long before colonial rules and fire suppression began. They started small, gentle fires to help plants grow, reduce competition for plants people used, and prevent big, dangerous fires later on.

In North America, the use of controlled burns ended in the early 1900s when policies were made to stop all fires. Since 1995, the US Forest Service has slowly started using controlled burns again in forest management. Fire suppression has changed habitats, causing some fire-dependent areas to become endangered. In Canada, controlled burns were restricted during colonization but have been used again since the 1970s. In British Columbia, there has been a push to return to traditional prescribed burns to help manage wildfires.

In the United States, controlled burns have faced challenges. In 1988, smoke from field burning caused a major car accident, leading to stricter rules. Sometimes, controlled burns can get out of control, as happened with the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire in New Mexico. There is ongoing debate about how to manage wildfires, especially with climate change making fires more common. In 2021, California increased efforts to use controlled burns.

In Europe, farmers sometimes burn crop stubble after harvest for plant health, but there are restrictions. In Great Britain, some areas are burned to manage grouse moors, but this can harm the environment. In Africa, the Maasai people traditionally burn savannas before the rainy season to provide better grazing land and prevent bigger fires, but this practice has decreased due to changing weather and government policies.

In Australia, indigenous peoples have a long history of using controlled burns, but these practices were suppressed during colonial times. Recently, there has been a increase in prescribed burning as indigenous communities regain land rights and attitudes change.