Prescribed fire

Use of prescribed fire to reduce the fuel load in the form of live and dead plant material and thus to prevent the likelihood of more damaging wildfire. The main purposes are the enhancement of grazing areas and the creation of a national network to limit the spread of wildfire. It involves strategically burning key sites to restrict the spread of the wildfire.

The type of fire depends on the specific goals and on the weather conditions. The slope angle, the kind of fuels to be burned, the weather conditions, and the ability to control the speed of flame spread are all considered before carrying out the fire.

Note: For this SLM technology case, the SPI report on Sustainable Land Management and Climate Change refers to: Stubbendieck, J., Volesky, J. and Ortmann, J. 2007. Grassland Management with prescribed fire. In: The board of Regents of the University of Nebraska.