Land set ablaze, flames racing to devour plants and leaving only a trail of blackened ash — it’s
an image that may seem destructive, but in a prescribed burn, it’s one of nature’s most
powerful tools for restoration Director of Paint Rock Forest Research Center,
Bill Finch, says that converting the former agricultural lands back to native grasslands could
offer a number of advantages. One particular benefit we look forward to is the attraction of
disappearing wildlife such as ruffed grouse and quail.
The field had beautiful stands of native grasses, but some portions had been
invaded by Asian fescue grass, which is toxic to most wildlife. These fires will
help tip the balance back to native grasses and wildflowers.
Joined by Alabama A&M’s Fire Dawg crew, Bill and the Research Center crew —
Brandon, Mary and Nathan — were able to spend ample time setting up fire lanes
and making sure that no excess fuel was laying around, waiting to cause a
problem.
The group used bush hogs and lawnmowers to remove dried grasses from the fire
containment lanes and made use of roads and creeks as natural firebreaks.
Much of the success of a burn is dependent on the weather conditions. The
humidity levels and the wind are important factors to consider when it comes to
planning a burn. If the wind changes directions it can affect how the fire travels, and being in control of
the movement of the burn is crucial.
“The wind wouldn’t always follow the rules and it would change directions,”
Finch said, “Which meant we would have to go chase it with a drip torch to make
sure the fire was moving where we wanted it to go.”
With all of the factors involved, setting a date for a burn can prove to be a
headache. This year, each time the group planned to burn, like clockwork the sky
let loose and rained on their parade. Too much moisture eliminates the ability to
do a prescribed burn, thus the date for this grassland fire was pushed back much
later than anticipated.
“The moisture from the plants would burn off and make these clouds that would
actually cool off the area that you were trying to burn.” Bill says with a chuckle.
“Sometimes it’s a bit harder to start a fire than you would think it’d be.”
With each burn, the crew discovers something new about the valley. Finch says
he’s begun to realize that a distinctive grass community is emerging, dominated
by what Finch calls “cutthroat grasses.” These handsome and often quite colorful
grasses (all in the genus Coeleatenia) are closely related to the “cutthroat”
wetland grasses of the Everglades, but in the most limestone clays of Paint Rock,
they dominate native meadows.
