Event Educated Private Forest Owners on Prescribed Burning
Words and Images by Jenny Lynn Davis
On Monday, March 6, the Alabama Forestry Association hosted a “Learn and Burn” event, which drew community members and visitors from across the state. The event, held on private property off Walston Bridge Road and Bob Wilson Road, aimed to teach private forest owners how to safely conduct prescribed burns on their properties.
Prescribed burning, also known as controlled burning, is a land management technique that involves deliberately setting fires under controlled conditions to manage ecosystems. This technique has numerous benefits for the environment, including helping to restore and maintain healthy habitats for plants and animals, preventing the spread of invasive species, and reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfires.
“Alabama woods were, at one time, fire-dependent ecosystems, but through increased populations and wildfire prevention campaigns, that element of ecosystem management sort of faded away,” said Brad Nail, Regional Forester with the Alabama Forestry Association. “Now, there’s a push to reintroduce it and educate private forest owners on how to conduct the controlled burns safely.”
Nail also mentioned that of the 23 million acres of forestry in the state of Alabama, 92% is owned by private citizens.
The “Learn and Burn” event was a valuable opportunity for private forest owners to learn about the benefits of prescribed burning and how to implement this technique on their properties safely. The event was also a chance for community members and visitors to see firsthand how prescribed burning works and to learn more about the importance of land management practices in maintaining healthy ecosystems. WL
For more information on the Alabama Forestry Association, please visit alaforestry.org.
