• Main Page
• What's New
• Special Events
• North Tract
• Location
• Hunting Opportunities
• Spring Turkey Hunt
• Fishing
• Summer Mini-Camps
• North Tract Public Program Schedule
• Visitor Regulations
• Prescribed Fire Activities
• National Wildlife Visitor Center
• Volunteer!
• Internships
• Conservation Plan
• Galleries
• Links
• Information and Literature
• Junior Duck Stamps
• Refuge Staff Directory
• Site Table of Contents

Last Update

Patuxent Research Refuge
Prescribed Fire -- March 2007

Prescribed Burns

Personnel from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducted a series of prescribed burns on Patuxent Research Refuge lands on March 20, 2007. Burns occurred near and around the National Wildlife Visitor Center located off of Powder Mill Road, south of Laurel; and on the North Tract portion of the Refuge located off of MD-198, east of Laurel.

Refuge Manager Brad Knudsen explains, “Research indicates that controlled burning has many benefits over other habitat management practices. Fire helps control undesirable exotic plants, maintains grassland habitat for nesting birds and small mammals, promotes wild flowers and other native plants, reduces the accumulation of organic debris and releases nutrients back into the soil. The use of prescribed fire will support Patuxent’s unique role as a research refuge by allowing scientists to study the effect of fire on a variety of refuge habitats.” Prescribed burns are authorized under Patuxent Research Refuge’s Prescribed Fire Plan which was made available for public review and was approved by Fish and Wildlife Service officials in 2001.

Burns are conducted on small areas of grassland habitat for management, restoration and biological research. Since prescribed burns are dependent on favorable weather conditions, it is difficult to provide significant advanced notice of when each burn will occur. However, appropriate State and County agencies are notified in advance of each burn.  

	2007 Prescribed Fire Pictures
	2002 Patuxent Research Refuge Prescribed Fire