Photo: Personnel with the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission conduct a prescribed burn. Not only do prescribed fires promote native grasses and wildflowers that produce abundant seeds and cover for wildlife, it also consumes the dead organic matter that can build on a forest floor to the point that it becomes a hazard.
Each spring and fall, residents of the Ozarks are sometimes greeted by the smell of smoke in the air and haze in the sky.
While sometimes these effects are caused by a forest fire, often they are the remnants of prescribed burns conducted by authorities such as the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Arkansas Department of Forestry or the National Park Service.
Ted Zawislak is the statewide private lands supervisor and a private lands biologist for the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission (AGFC), stationed in Calico Rock. Zawislak leads a staff of 12 biologists who work throughout the state helping guide landowners in maintaining and establishing habitat for wildlife.
Prescribed burns are managed burns that allow overgrown lands to be reclaimed in a safe and efficient way. “Perfect” burning days – which are not too wet, too dry or too windy – are limited, which Zawislak says leads to multiple fires on consecutive days across the state.
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Zawislak says the burns are once again being employed as an effective tool by agencies to manage lands, years after falling out of favor.
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Burning off a property provides significant benefits for the land, as Zawislak explains.
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Photo: A prescribed fire is planned by land managers to reduce dangerous fuel loads and benefit natural vegetation. Private Lands Biologist Ted Zawislak says regrowth to burned areas can happen in as little as two weeks.
For those worried about the effects on wildlife due to burns, Zawislak says they are capable of handling the fire, and he often sees immediate benefits.
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In an effort to educate private landowners on conducting their own safe burns, two “Learn to Burn” workshops have been scheduled for April in the Twin Lakes Area. On Thursday afternoon, the Charles R. Newton Training Center in Midway will host an event from 4 to 7. Register at https://learntoburn_midway.eventbright.com.
On April 13 from noon to 4 p.m., a class will be conducted at the Panther Bay Public Use Area. This event will be outdoors and will be rescheduled for April 15 in the event of inclement weather. Registration is available at https://learntoburn_mountainhome.eventbrite.com.
Zawislak describes the focus of the classes.
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Locally, a Prescribed Burn Association (PBA) has been formed for landowners in Baxter, Marion and Searcy counties. The AGFC and Quail Forever partnered to provide a burn trailer and all needed equipment. Those that join the group volunteer to help others on their property, then get access to equipment and other volunteers when they conduct their own prescribed burn.
Anyone interested in the local PBA may email Elva Kelly at ncapba@gmail.com. To stay up-to-date with prescribed burns, burn bans and wildfire danger, visit the Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Forestry website at agriculture.arkansas.gov/forestry/.
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