Shawnee National Forest to begin burn season

HARRISBURG - With the arrival of fall, the Shawnee National Forest (Forest) will begin its prescribed burn season. Prescribed fires are planned on approximately 5,000 to 10,000 acres, and are scheduled to begin in October 2015 and continue through April 2016.

In recent years, the Forest has increased the use of prescribed fire in land management. These prescribed fires are performed under appropriate weather conditions to meet several management goals and will approximate historic fire occurrence. It will:

• Maintain oaks and hickories as an integral part of the forest cover. Fire creates conditions that oaks and hickories seedlings need to gain access to light in order to grow. Without fire, shade-tolerant species will take over and eventually replace the oak/hickory stands.

• Maintain open lands. Using prescribed fire to maintain open lands allows forest managers to perpetuate prairie and savannah remnants found on the forest. These remnant plant communities provide habitat for several early-successional songbird species, such as Henslow's sparrow and the loggerhead shrike. Maintaining these openings with prescribed fire increases biodiversity in both plant and animal species.

• Reduce wildfire hazard and damage. The use of prescribed fire reduces vegetative debris collected on the forest floor so that should a wildfire happen, it will be less intense.

To learn more about prescribed burning on the Shawnee, please contact Scott Crist at the Forest's Headquarters Office in Harrisburg, at (618) 253-7114.