WFHB Bloomington Community Radio
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The Hoosier National Forest saw a record year for prescribed fires in 2019. I asked myself what that means to local residents and about the environment’s current condition. To find some answers I took a journey to the headquarters of Hoosier National Forest in Bedford, Indiana. There I talked about the fires with their Fuel Specialist Jeremy Kolaks.
Kolaks said that there are two main reasons that prescribed fires are set. The first reason is to reduce the amount of natural fuels on the ground that could spark a fire.These natural fuels include things like leaves and grasses that are targeted during prescribed burning.The second reason is to restore native ecosystems. He said the reason the National Forest had so many this year was because they could.
Kolaks mentioned that after each burn it takes anywhere from five to twelve years for natural fuels to build back up. If a fire sparks in a location that has been burned the reduced fuel on the ground will allow for a faster and more responsive reaction to putting out the fire. I asked Kolaks where prescribed burns fall in the issue of climate change.
So the amount of carbon released during the fires is less than the amount of carbon that will be captured by the new growth that will inhabit the area. Kolaks said that ecosystems are enhanced by performing prescribed burns.
Parts of the United States that are more prone to wildfires are gaining more public acceptance of prescribed fires. I asked Kolaks if he thought living in the Midwest.
Kolaks said recognizing that wildfires can still happen in the Midwest is very important. He mentioned that with regulation, even private landowners can use resources through the state to have a prescribed fire on their own land.
