The United States Fish and Wildlife Service, San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge will be conducting a 600 acre prescribed fire on May 18. The Refuge is continuing a proactive land management approach by using fire as management tool. The prescribed fire will reduce the future possibility of wildfires while enhancing critical wildlife habitat and restoring native grassland processes.
Prescribed burning, conducted under an approved plan with the use of adequate firefighting resources, is the best method to prevent potential loss from a wildfire. Firefighters from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and the National Park Service will be assisting local Refuge Fire Management personnel with the prescribed fires.
Historically, natural fires occurred every five to ten years but fire suppression efforts, along with development and grazing, have altered the natural fire cycle. Mesquite trees and acacia bushes have flourished with the absence of fire and these plants can dominate Refuge vegetation, choking out the once open desert grassland.
Prescribed burning reduces the total amount of vegetation and stimulates growth of native species that are adapted to naturally occurring fires. Refuge biologists and fire personnel worked together to develop a plan that will benefit wildlife and promote the habitat needs of native species. Prescribed burning treatments, while expensive, may cost as little as one tenth that of a large scale, wildfire suppression effort. All burn plans are developed using national interagency standards developed by qualified and experienced fire management professionals. The plans are extensively reviewed and must be approved by the Refuge Manager prior to ignition.
Fire Management personnel will closely monitor weather and fuel conditions to maximize results and minimize smoke impacts on adjacent communities. Burns will only be conducted during the daytime hours. Smoke may be visible to residents in Douglas and surrounding areas.
