BREC: Prescribed Burn Taking Place At Howell Community Park

Baton Rouge LA

02 February, 2022

4:30 AM

Description

Press release from BREC: February 1, 2022 A prescribed burn has been scheduled for Thursday, February 10, 2022, 8 a.m-5 p.m. at Howell Community Park. The entire park will be closed to the public. Date is subject to change depending on weather. Staff will be on-site to perform, monitor, and extinguish this controlled burn safely and efficiently. Prescribed fire is an important part of the management of this habitat. Prescribed burns are planned, controlled burns. They are started, monitored, and extinguished by a trained team of experts under specified weather conditions to restore health to ecosystems. The burn area within the park include "Grow Zones" of wildflowers and grasses that need fire to reproduce and be healthy. The grow zones contain mostly fine fuels (grasses) which will produce minimal flames and a thin smoke. Local fire stations and Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry have been notified of this burn. Weather conditions are monitored and if they are not perfect, the burn will be post-poned to a more desirable day. Precautions are put into place to prevent the fire from escaping such as fire guards (low plant material around burn areas that will not catch fire) and the fire crew will have rakes, flappers and water to put out the fire as needed. This fire and associated smoke is not harmful and is a common management practice throughout the state. Please do not report incidents of smoke or fire in Howell Community Park on February 10, 2022. The burn has been approved by the local fire department. Questions? Contact [email protected] or 225-388-3029 Like a doctor prepares prescriptions for patients, land managers often prescribe treatments, such as fi re, to keep habitats healthy. Prescribed fire is a planned fi re, also known as a "controlled burn." They are carefully coordinated, taking into consideration the safety of the public, weather conditions and habitat objectives. Many native habitats, such as prairies, depend on fi re to remain healthy and functional. Fire returns nutrients to the soil creating healthy habitats while controlling some diseases, insects, and invasive plants that can affect habitat health. Periodic fi re can improve water quality by increasing aquifer absorption. Grow Zones, such as the ones at Howell Community Park, alleviate maintenance expenses associated with mowing and staffi ng so that money can be spent elsewhere to better service the community! Prescribed fire increases the occurrence and visibility of wildfl owers, which attract pollinators, and maintains open spaces and transparency that improves the scenic quality of a grassland. Prescribed fire can attract wildlife and songbirds by increasing plant diversity which also yields a variety of food. Fire allows plants to capture sunlight and grow. This press release was produced by BREC. The views expressed here are the author's own.