By Bill Bartush, West Gulf Coastal Plain/Ouachitas Partnership Coordinator for the LMVJV

by Arkansas Department of Agriculture Forestry Division

Let’s talk fire—prescribed fire to be exact. Prescribed fire is a well-planned and organized effort that takes into consideration many human, weather, and equipment factors. In contrast, burning garbage behind your house is not a prescribed fire, nor is the impulsive firing of brush piles on a foggy morning on your back forty (not realizing that the cold front about to hit—bringing high winds and low humidity—may be a problem). These unplanned, mostly impulsive fires lack a well-formulated plan and are the ones that turn up on the 6 o’clock news.

This article is not for the seasoned prescribed burner; it’s for those who have not taken the initial step to manage their land with fire and are hesitant for whatever reasons. Over the last 30 years, hundreds of articles have touted prescribed fire for conservation management on forests, woodlands, and grasslands. Fire is a cost-effective management tool. Fire is a fundamental tool because it is an ecological process, essential for most species of native plants and animals in North America. The scientific literature is replete with the validation of this truth (see the resources compiled at the LMVJV Prescribed Fire page). Fire is effective in managing desired and undesired vegetation, returning much-needed nutrients to the soil, and facilitating proliferation of the native species, especially grasses and forbs so important as wildlife habitat.

This article summarizes the basics of prescribed fire for land managers of both grazing lands and forests, and in all cases, managers of wildlife.

Prescribed fire is the oldest, the best, and yet the most under-utilized conservation practice employed by private landowners. . . Why?

If fire is supported by science and touted so often, why has it not caught fire (pun intended)? How many landowners spend thousands of dollars on mechanized or chemical land management activities? Compared to mechanical and chemical treatments, fire is dirt cheap. Maybe that’s part of the answer--it can’t be sold at the store or on Amazon. It’s hard to capitalize on a few cents worth of matches, whereas millions are made by selling machinery and gallons or sacks of product. Maybe the reluctance to use fire is fear (aka Smokey Bear), perpetuated by those who find it easier to avoid the issue altogether. It can be an uncomfortable subject and easy to deflect. Who knows?

What I can tell you is that prescribed fire reaps the most bang for the buck, hands down! I hope you’ll find plenty of resources here that help you find the answers to these questions. For those who have already figured out the “why and how” to burn to improve your property in such a way that you won’t go broke, stay with us—you can now help a neighbor.

Witnessing what works

Those of us in the habitat conservation business have literally hundreds of “practical experience years” managing lands and providing sound technical assistance to private landowners. Having grown up farming and ranching, I spent more time on the spine of a tractor before I was 18 than most people do in a lifetime (truly an incentive to go to college). I had time to ponder land management principles for long hours on that old John Deere, so I have a confident feel for what works and what is pure baloney. Having cut, broadcast, grazed, sprayed, bladed, and plowed more hours and acres than I can count, I have an opinion on how best to manage forest and grasslands “reasonably.” The most universal, cost-effective tool “hands down” is FIRE. I am not a teacher nor an academic, but have experienced this from many angles and in many ways. Like Nolan Ryan said, “It ain’t bragging if you’ve done it.”

Since leaving the home place on the Texas-side of the Red River in 1973, I have worked on public and private land throughout the Southeast and Midwest, and I’ve owned land. Over all these experiences and decades of providing assistance, the most often-asked question (and unresolved discussion) I hear is, “How can I, as a private landowner, improve my land and do it cost-effectively without going broke?” Whether your objective is for forest, or wildlife, or grasslands, or all three, my first and strongest answer is FIRE, almost every time. But don’t take my word for it—listen to what a couple of landowners have to say. Both are successful managers; both actively manage the land; and both always incorporate fire: https://bit.ly/AR-LA-fire.

But they are not you, and experience confirms that every situation is unique, and every prescription must be tied to that unique operation. However, fire is foundational to achieving many common wildlife management objectives. It is one of the five basic elements described by Aldo Leopold’s conservation manager’s toolbox—the Gun, Plow, Cow, Axe and Match. Let’s get to some of the WHY fire is not more widely used, the HOW we can shift attitudes, and then WHAT to do to incorporate fire into the routine behavior of our landowners who are hungry to do the right thing.

Why is fire not more widely used?

Science is helping take the myths out of prescribed fire. A recent study found the primary reasons landowners did not apply fire on their land were insufficient resources, legal concerns, and lack of assistance with burn plan development. Another study indicated that almost 50% of landowners described the shortage of knowledge and expertise as a primary reason they don’t burn.

Fear of liability can be a major deterrent to using prescribed fire. However, evaluation of the risks from escaped fire does not support perceptions that applying prescribed fire as a land management tool is risky. Of thousands of prescribed fires that have been tracked, LESS than 1% resulted in any form of litigation or potential liability.

How to shift attitudes with resources

Prescribed burning should be a readily available option for any landowner, but the culture and support for fire are not consistent across states. States with well-developed laws, regulations, strategies, training programs, and local burn associations or cooperatives—along with agencies that support land management via fire—are very successful and literally log millions of acres burned annually. In contrast, states with restrictive regulations and shackled agency support are not there yet, but we are making progress. With conservation agency support, well-trained consulting burn managers are growing in number, and their communication and outreach are playing an increasingly important role in spreading the prescribed fire message. We are making progress but still have a long way to go.

What should you, the private landowner, do to start using fire?

So, where does that put you? My best advice: make contact. Get to know some of the local foresters, biologists, and prescribed burn professionals; let them help you overcome the hurdles. The most successful prescribed fire landowners have personally connected with somebody or some group for hands-on experience, building the confidence to eventually proceed alone. It’s best to find somebody nearby, and there is information online for every state (see the list of state resources at the LMVJV Prescribed Fire page). This article is focused primarily on Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas, but the discussion applies throughout the Southeast and much of the Midwest. In each of these states, private lands professionals can help you get started with prescribed fire.

In Oklahoma, there are also many cooperatives or prescribed fire associations; find these and get involved. Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas have fewer co-ops, but they are growing in number. Take the lead and get one started for you and your neighbors close to home. Co-ops can be especially valuable to communities of landowners with relatively small holdings. Rural landowners with property of all sizes should consider prescribed fire. Unless you are inside a city with strict prohibitions, even those with small acreage should be able to apply this tool. The understanding, confidence, and positive results can only grow if you and your neighbors take those first steps. Get acquainted with sources of fire information in your state or, if information is lacking, in a nearby state.

Just connect! Get to know a prescribed fire expert, take some training and, most importantly, begin gaining some experience with a drip torch in your hand.

Go to the LMVJV Prescribed Fire Assistance page for a wealth of information.

Hands-on: Prescribed Fire Primer for Newbies & Knowledgeable Neighbors