Prescribed Fire

What is prescribed fire?

Just as a doctor may prescribe a treatment for restoring or maintaining your health, land managers call upon a variety of "treatments" to promote healthy forests. Prescribed fire is a treatment used to achieve particular goals. Prescribed fire is intentional and controlled, and is used under very specific conditions to provide for the safest and most effective results.

Why is prescribed fire used in the White Mountain National Forest?

Prescribed fire used for to achieve the following:

Create and maintain openings in the forest to provide valuable wildlife habitat. These grassy and shrubby openings provide food and shelter for many wildlife species.
Encourage growth of particular tree species by clearing competing plants and woody material from the forest floor. Red oak, Eastern white pine and birch take advantage of the seedbed and extra growing room created by controlled burning beneath the tree canopy.
Avoid wildfires by burning off excess accumulations of woody material that could become fuel for wildfires.
Manage insect and disease.
Enhance blueberry production.
Create or maintain scenic vistas.
Prescribed fire also allows us to stay prepared and and trained for wildland firefighting, here and across the country.

When is the best time of year to have a prescribed burn?

Spring offers a short window of time between snow-melt and green-up. It's not unusual to have patches of snow in the forest adjacent to wildlife openings as we burn them. Fall burning can occur, also, if conditions are right for safe and effective burning before the winter snows come.

Who does the burning?

Trained and equipped Forest Service staff plan, ignite, and monitor the fire in all phases of the prescribed burn. Partners from local towns and state agencies often assist.

Are local communities involved in the prescribed fire activities?

The Forest Service coordinates burn activities with fire personnel from local communities, organizations, state agencies, and other federal agencies. Our partners are integral members of the burn crew.