Скачать или смотреть Prescribed Fire using Drip Torches at Pierce Cedar Creek Institute

This video shows Pierce Cedar Creek Institute's Stewardship Manager Mary Parr using a drip torch to strategically ignite a fire to a field according to the Institute's burn plan. Drip torches are used by professional fire crews to intentionally set fire to fields and forest understory brush. They are one of the tools that the Institute relies on for maintaining biodiversity in a variety of habitats. When fires are purposely ignited for land management they are called “prescribed fires” or “controlled burns.”

Fire is used as a land management tool to maintain natural communities of species that evolved to rely on fire disturbance. Fire is also used to reduce the natural buildup of brush in forest understories. The Institute uses fire to help control several native and non-native species. Prescribed burns can help slow the growth of aggressive non-natives, such as Autumn olive. Depending on the time of year, fire can be used to stimulate or suppress native species, such as big bluestem.