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In most parks, prescribed fires are used to manage vegetation instead of lightning-caused fires. Prescribed burns are ignited to reduce hazardous fuel loads near developed areas, manage landscapes, restore natural woodlands and for research purposes.
Fire management may also choose to closely monitor naturally started fires, ignited by lightning or lava, to meet specific resource objectives like the prescribed fires. These fires are called wildland fire use.
Some parks have areas designated as Natural Fire Zone in which natural ignitions are closely monitored but allowed to burn as a natural process without intervention. In some mountainous western parks many lightning-caused fires have been allowed to burn and die naturally each year.
Before any wildland fire use or prescribed fire is permitted, the park must complete a Fire Management Plan as well as a burn plan. Each planned fire must meet all the conditions identified in a go/no go checklist before ignition. When fire cannot be used, most hazard fuel reduction is accomplished with saws and manual removal.
Hazard fuel reduction around developed areas provides for fire fighter safety and structure protection in the event of a wildfire.
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Prescribed
Fire -
FLASH
What is the process behind
using fire as a management tool? Learn all that
goes into planning and executing a prescribed
fire.
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