A Junior Trailblazers Guide to Prescribed Fires
What is Prescribed Fire?
Who is Involved?
Prescribed fire is done by specially trained wildland firefighters. Hillsborough County wildland firefighters work with biologists, forestry experts, and police to make sure that prescribed fires are safe and productive!
Prescribed Fire Keeps Us Safe.
Prescribed fire helps stop big dangerous wildfires. By carefully burning away excess plants and dead underbrush, prescribed fires reduce the amount of fuel available for potential wildfires. This process helps to create a natural barrier, making wildfires weaker if they happen. This keeps homes, businesses, and nature in places like Hillsborough County safer from big wildfires.
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| Hillsborough County Wildland Firefighters Preforming a Prescribed Fire. |
Prescribed Fire Benefits Nature
A Fire-Adapted Environment
Some ecosystems, especially Florida’s natural areas, have evolved with frequent wildfires and need fire to be healthy. These fire-adapted environments thrive with the help of regular burns, which help renew the land and maintain biodiversity.
The Longleaf Pine Tree
A good example of a fire-adapted plant is the longleaf pine tree. These trees have thick bark to protect them from heat and shed their lower branches to avoid catching fire. Fires clear the undergrowth, helping their seeds get to the soil and sunlight they need to grow.
The Gopher Tortoise
A fire-adapted animal that benefits from prescribed fire is the gopher tortoise. These tortoises live in burrows that protect them during fires. After a fire, they get lots of new plant growth to eat and open spaces to dig their burrows in.
Fire-Adapted Animals Activity
Take a few minutes and observe the environment. In the case of a wildfire, can you guess how these animals have adapted to keep themselves safe during wildfires? We will review the answers at the end.
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1. Marsh Rabbit (Sylvilagus palustris):
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2. White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus):
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3. Gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus):
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4. Raccoon (Procyon lotor):
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What Happens After a Prescribed Fire?
Florida's special ecosystems, such as pine flatwoods, scrublands, and wetlands, have evolved with fire. Regular fires stop unwanted, invasive plants, put nutrients back in the soil, and help native plants grow. Without fire, the ecosystems suffer, and become crowded with unwanted plants.
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Wildflowers
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Many of the flowers you see growing in gardens, such as “blazing stars,” or the plants attracting butterflies, such as “sensitive pea,” rely on prescribed fire to compete and grow. The Pine Lily (Lilium catesbaei) is a striking wildflower adapted to fire-prone environments. The heat from fires clears competing vegetation and releases nutrients, creating good conditions for Pine Lily seeds to sprout and grow. Fire also exposes the soil to more sunlight, which is essential for the germination of seeds and growth of these lilies. The Pine Lily, with its pretty red-orange blooms can be seen at Bell Creek Nature Preserve in the Fall.
Visual Changes in the Landscape
Right after a fire, the land looks burnt, and there is a thin layer of ash. However, soon, new plant growth emerges, making the area into a lush, green environment. This quick regeneration is a natural response to fire, as many native plant and animal species are adapted to quickly come back.
Fire Landscape Activity
Look at these two pictures. One is before a prescribed fire, and the other is 4 weeks after. Spot the differences and write them down.
Your Observations:
1. _______________________________________________________________
2. _______________________________________________________________
3. _______________________________________________________________
Wildland Firefighting Equipment
Wildland firefighting requires special equipment. Unlike regular firefighters, Hillsborough County Wildland Firefighters need to be able to work out in the middle of huge nature preserves like Lower Green Swamp, and the equipment they use is specially designed for the job.
Fire-Resistant Shirts and Pants
Made from materials such as Nomex, these clothes resist burning and provide a barrier against heat. They are lighter than traditional firefighting clothes, allowing Wildland firefighters to cover long distances.
Specialized Equipment
The wildland firefighter in this picture is carrying what is called a “drip torch.” A drip torch is an essential tool for setting backfires and controlled burns. It consists of a fuel tank, a spout, and a burning wick. The torch allows firefighters to precisely control the flow of flaming liquid fuel (usually a mixture of diesel and gasoline), which is used to ignite fires under controlled conditions. The use of drip torches is a skilled practice, requiring knowledge of fire behavior and wind patterns.
Brush Trucks
Brush trucks are specialized vehicles designed to drive through rough, off-road terrains found in natural ecosystems. They carry water tanks, hoses, and nozzles for putting out fires. Brush trucks have storage compartments for tools, first aid, and other essential supplies.
Keeping an Eye on Safety
It is the responsibility of all wildland firefighters to watch for any danger and keep each other safe while out in the field. Wildland firefighters look for specific Watch Out Situations, and if we see them, we tell each other to Watch Out!
Here are 3 examples of Watch Out Situations. Let’s go over what might be wrong with these, together.
1. One person is lighting the fire as the others put it out!
This watch out is “Instructions and assignments not clear.” Notice how some firefighters are putting out the fire while another starts more. Everyone needs to know their job.
2. It is dark, and the wildland firefighters might get lost.
We call this watch out, “in country not seen in daylight.” Wildland firefighters often work at night, especially when “mopping up” or putting out fires. This image shows firefighters working at night who are seeing an area for the first time. They need to pay extra attention.
3. There are clouds gathering in the background. Maybe a storm is coming.
“Unfamiliar with weather and local factors influencing fire behavior.” Weather can have a big impact on the behavior of a fire. These firefighters are checking the wind but should also watch the clouds for storms.
Keeping an Eye on Safety Activity
Now that you are familiar with some of the Watch outs, look at these images and think about any dangers or things that make you say Watch Out! We'll go over the official answers later, but don’t stress about getting it exactly right. What matters now is making observations!
1. _______________________________________________________________
2. _______________________________________________________________
1. _______________________________________________________________
Activity Review
Before we finish, let's go over the activities and answer any questions!
Fire-Adapted Animals Activity Review
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1. Marsh Rabbit (Sylvilagus palustris):
The marsh rabbit is a small cottontail rabbit native to Florida. Unlike European rabbits, the marsh rabbits don’t dig burrows. Instead, it is great swimmer. Marsh rabbits love the water, and while they may take shelter in the burrow with the Tortoise, they are likely to take shelter in the marshy wet area.
2. White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus):
Deer are also strong swimmers, but they may also take cover in the old burn area to the right. Because it was burned recently, the fire won’t spread there. Plus, the fresh buds make good forage.
3. Gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus):
Unlike turtles, gopher tortoises are weak swimmers. This one will take shelter in one of its burrows. Gopher tortoises each dig many burrows, and other animals often use them as shelter.
4. Raccoon (Procyon lotor):
Raccoons have many choices for safety. Being good climbers, they might climb the tall, fire-resistant pine trees.
Fire Landscape Activity Review
There are several changes which manifest after a burn, a few examples from this image would be:
- Smaller plants: Big bushes are burned away, leaving an open area.
- The active gopher tortoise burrow: The fresh sand next to the burrow shows that the tortoise has been digging here recently after the burn.
- The new ground growth:
- More grass grows, which is good food for herbivorous animals like deer.
- Yellow goldenrod plants can be seen blooming in the distance. These plants provide a valuable source of nectar for pollinating insects such as bees and butterflies.
- The small pine in the middle has new growth on its top branches. It can be hard to see, but there is already fresh growth at its apex.
Keeping an Eye on Safety Activity Review
1. They are sleeping near the fire!
This watch out is “Taking a nap near fireline.” Working on a fire can be exhausting, but wildland firefighters need to use lookouts when taking a break, and always be alert to changing fire behavior.
2. The airplane missed the fire!
This one might have been tricky. That airplane is dropping a special, “fire retardant” chemicals to put out the fire, but they missed! This watch out is called, “Uninformed on strategy, tactics, and hazards.” This means that when we see a mistake like this we need to watch out, and make sure everyone understands the plan!
2. The wind is picking up!
This watch out is, “Wind increases and/or changes direction.” Wind moves the fire, and any changes in the wind can completely change the direction the fire is moving!
Junior Trailblazers
You have journeyed through the important world of prescribed fires, learning about their important role in the health and safety of our ecosystems. From understanding what prescribed fires are and who conducts them, to seeing the benefits they bring to nature.
Keep exploring, keep learning, and remember, you too play a role in protecting and understanding our incredible planet. You are the next generation of environmental stewards, and your curiosity and passion for nature will help shape a brighter, more sustainable future. Keep blazing trails, Junior Trailblazers!
