Audubon South Carolina: Grassland Burn

Saturday, January 19, 2013

Grassland Burn

Previously, we have reported how the Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest is working to restore grassland habitat for birds and other wildlife. This week, we burned approximately 25 acres of grassland near the intersection of I-26 and Hwy 15.

Grassland plants have adapted to periodic dramatic change whether that change was caused by lightning-strike fires, fires set by Native Americans to manage their hunting grounds, or herds of grazing bison. As Native Americans learned, fire is an effective and beneficial land management tool. In grassland ecosystems, fire prevents trees from invading and dominating the habitat, returns nutrients to the soil, and stimulates growth in native grassland plants. The tender new growth, flowers, seeds, and fruit provide food for a variety of animals that are in turn food for other animals. By spring, the site will be prime for grassland bird species returning from their wintering grounds in search of breeding territory.

Prescribed burns are well-planned events. In fact, this burn was delayed by several days until the winds shifted out of the southwest, which allowed the smoke to travel northeast over the swamp and away from nearby I-26 and US Hwy 15. Using drip torches containing a mixture of diesel fuel and gasoline, the northeast corner of the plot was lit so that the fire burned back into the wind, which helped to keep the fire slow and steady.

Grassland Prescribed Burn - Mark Musselman

Volunteers and staff patrolled the borders of the burn plot to ensure flames did not cross the plowed fire breaks. If any breaches were to occur, backpack water sprayers, ATV-mounted water sprayers, rakes, flappers, and shovels were available to quickly snuff out the errant flames.