The Nature Conservancy Celebrates “Prescribed Fire Awareness Week” February 5-11
Governor’s Proclamation Encourages Land Management Ethic for Protecting Georgia’s Forests
Atlanta—February 5,2006—Governor Sonny Perdue is helping to raise awareness about the importance of prescribed fire to managing healthy forests by proclaiming February 5-11, 2006, “Prescribed Fire Awareness Week.”
“Prescribed burning of Georgia forest lands is a valuable tool for protecting the forest from devastating wildfires,” states the proclamation, to be signed Monday, Feb. 6. The document notes that planned fires by forestry professionals are the most economically feasible forest management tool for maintaining valuable wildlife species including bobwhite quail, eastern wild turkey, and many other fire-dependent species. In addition, prescribed burning improves forest health by enhancing reforestation and reducing hazardous fuels.
Working with conservation partners, The Nature Conservancy uses prescribed fire on thousands of acres each year to restore Georgia’s native longleaf pine forests and other fire dependant natural habitats. In 2005, The Nature Conservancy, working with federal, state and private partners, applied prescribed fire to nearly 11,000 acres throughout the state of Georgia.
“Fire is an essential natural process to managing many of our natural areas in Georgia, including the vanishing longleaf pine forests,” said Kevin Hiers, the Georgia and Alabama fire program manager for The Nature Conservancy and a member of the Southwest Georgia Prescribed Fire Council (SWGPFC). “By issuing this proclamation, the Governor is supporting a multi-agency effort within the state to manage fire-dependent ecosystems with sound science and a proven land management technique.”
Prescribed Fire Awareness Week was established in 2005 through the efforts of the Georgia Forestry Commission (GFC) and the SWGPFC. The 2006 proclamation recognizes the GFC for its promotion, education and training roles in the continued use of prescribed burning.
“The Georgia Forestry Commission is charged with protecting the state from wildfire,” said Ken Stewart, Commission Director. “Prescribed fire is a critical tool for preventing wildfire and improving forest health.”
The proclamation further congratulates land managers whose use of prescribed fire enables them to “protect and maintain Georgia’s natural heritage for present and future generations.”
“Frequent fire is as necessary to the health of Georgia’s forests as sunshine and rain,” said Lane Green, spokesman for the SWGPFC, a resource group that assists professional foresters and land managers in the proper utilization of fire. “As a tree farmer himself, Governor Perdue understands that the right to use prescribed burning must be protected and promoted. It is our best wildfire insurance.”
Governor Sonny Perdue is helping to raise awareness about the importance of prescribed fire to managing healthy forests by proclaiming February 5-11, 2006, “Prescribed Fire Awareness Week.”
“Prescribed burning of Georgia forest lands is a valuable tool for protecting the forest from devastating wildfires,” states the proclamation, to be signed Monday, Feb. 6. The document notes that planned fires by forestry professionals are the most economically feasible forest management tool for maintaining valuable wildlife species including bobwhite quail, eastern wild turkey, and many other fire-dependent species. In addition, prescribed burning improves forest health by enhancing reforestation and reducing hazardous fuels.
Working with conservation partners, The Nature Conservancy uses prescribed fire on thousands of acres each year to restore Georgia’s native longleaf pine forests and other fire dependant natural habitats. In 2005, The Nature Conservancy, working with federal, state and private partners, applied prescribed fire to nearly 11,000 acres throughout the state of Georgia.
“Fire is an essential natural process to managing many of our natural areas in Georgia, including the vanishing longleaf pine forests,” said Kevin Hiers, the Georgia and Alabama fire program manager for The Nature Conservancy and a member of the Southwest Georgia Prescribed Fire Council (SWGPFC). “By issuing this proclamation, the Governor is supporting a multi-agency effort within the state to manage fire-dependent ecosystems with sound science and a proven land management technique.”
Prescribed Fire Awareness Week was established in 2005 through the efforts of the Georgia Forestry Commission (GFC) and the SWGPFC. The 2006 proclamation recognizes the GFC for its promotion, education and training roles in the continued use of prescribed burning.
“The Georgia Forestry Commission is charged with protecting the state from wildfire,” said Ken Stewart, Commission Director. “Prescribed fire is a critical tool for preventing wildfire and improving forest health.”
The proclamation further congratulates land managers whose use of prescribed fire enables them to “protect and maintain Georgia’s natural heritage for present and future generations.”
“Frequent fire is as necessary to the health of Georgia’s forests as sunshine and rain,” said Lane Green, spokesman for the SWGPFC, a resource group that assists professional foresters and land managers in the proper utilization of fire. “As a tree farmer himself, Governor Perdue understands that the right to use prescribed burning must be protected and promoted. It is our best wildfire insurance.”
About Prescribed Fire
With a cross-section of resources and expertise, The Nature Conservancy and its partners are working to safely and strategically return fire to Georgia’s public and private lands. Using funding and support from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, The Nature Conservancy is working with members of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and the Georgia Forestry Commission as part of the Interagency Burn Team, which formed nearly four years ago.
Historically, Native Americans, farmers and Mother Nature herself – in the form of frequent lightning strikes – burned the land to keep it fertile and healthy. However, today the role of fire in many fire-dependent ecosystems, such as the longleaf pine forest, is drastically out of balance, threatening the loss of valuable forest land and plant and animal life. Prescribed fire is an essential land management tool that not only promotes a healthy environment but also protects human communities by reducing the unnatural buildup of dense stands of flammable trees and thick carpets of dead wood and leaves that lead to intense wildfires.
Photo Credit: Prescribed burn with lupines © Shan Cammack/GA DNR
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