MANNFORD — This past weekend residents in and around Mannford took notice of smoke in the area as local and federal agencies conducted a significant prescribed burn on Nov. 8. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) operation aimed to improve local wildlife habitat and reduce the risk of future wildfires, according to Matt Reeves, Keystone lake manager with USACE.
“Prescribed fires are used for multiple purposes,” he said. “This fire had multiple goals.”
Reeves further explained among such goals was crew training, fuel load reduction, habitat improvement, and invasive species control. The exercise provided significant training for less experienced firefighters in a collaboration with department members of Mannford Fire, Silver City Fire, and Basin Fire joining the control efforts alongside USACE. It allowed firefighters to gain hands-on experience in fire behavior,managementunder controlled conditions, and a lesson on the importance of communication.
“The multi-agency effort helped to shape what proper communication might look like during a woodland fire response,” said Reeves.
He noted fuel load reduction as another key component of the burn saying removing excess vegetation is meant to help minimize the amount of combustible material near homes and communities. Prescribed burns also play a vital role in maintaining ecological health in the area by removing old vegetation it promotes new growth and increases the ability of native seed production.
“This creates a more diverse landscape for wildlife to utilize,” Reeves said.
Efforts to help native tree and grass species to thrive also involves utilizing prescribed burns to manage invasive species such as the Eastern Red Cedar Prescribed burns such as the one that took place this past weekend are carefully planned and monitored to meet specific environmental conditions to ensure the fire remains controlled and achieves its intended benefits.