Prescribed Fire Barriers and Solutions for Managing Sustainable Forests: Forum Discussion

Abstract

A virtual forum for land managers to provide feedback on barriers to, and opportunities for, the increased use of prescribed fire in the United States was held in June 2021. The session included a series of case studies illustrating barriers and opportunities in different ecosystems as well as key findings from recent research on prescribed fire use. In Eastern U.S. forests, where fire has long been excluded from multiple fire-adapted forest types including oak-pine (Quercus spp.-Pinus spp.) forests, woodlands, and savannas, ongoing research demonstrates that prescribed fire can be implemented while retaining timber value of commercially important hardwoods (Ryan and others 2013). In the Western United States, where prescribed fire is a critical restoration tool in fire-adapted forests, shrublands, and grasslands, the “modeling-monitoring-messaging” framework has been used to increase public acceptance of smoke impacts from prescribed fire, particularly in contrast to wildfire smoke impacts (Stotts and others 2018). In grasslands of the southern Great Plains, where fire exclusion is associated with encroachment of cedars (Juniperus spp.) and woody shrubs, ongoing research is demonstrating that the expansion of prescribed burn windows into the growing season can enhance desirable fire effects including improved forage productivity and increased cedar mortality (Weir and Scasta 2017). Currently, success stories in prescribed fire management often occur at local levels and are seemingly random, dependent on local personalities and relationships. The fire message can be confusing, with language targeting “fighting” fire, and the public is not well educated on the ecological role of fire in forested ecosystems.

Parent Publication

• Proceedings of the 22nd Biennial Southern Silvicultural Research Conference

Citation

Schweitzer, Callie; Dey, Dan; Brandon, Andrea. 2024. Prescribed Fire Barriers and Solutions for Managing Sustainable Forests: Forum Discussion. In: Bragg, Don C.; Oswald, Brian P.; Koerth, Nancy E., eds. Proceedings of the 22nd biennial southern silvicultural research conference. Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-274. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station: 68–71. https://doi.org/10.2737/SRS-GTR-274-Pap10.