Setting fire to your woods done right

Let’s say you have a 40-acre tract of forested property and you want your land to be more attractive to deer, turkeys and other wildlife. What can you do to make that happen?
Burn it. Say what? You’ve nurtured this tract for a long time so why would you want to set fire to it? On the surface, that doesn’t sound like it makes any sense but when done properly and under the guidance of people who know what they’re doing it’s maybe the best tool at your disposal to convert a standing tract of timber into something that attracts wildlife.

Jesse Davis is President of the Piney Hills Prescribed Burn Association (PBA) and this organization stays busy helping property owners improve their habitat by utilizing a prescribed, or controlled, burn.
“When done properly,” said Davis, “prescribed fire is the cheapest and most effective way to improve your habitat. Removing undesirable brush and ground litter exposes grasses and forbs and seeds that would otherwise never sprout. A prescribed fire removes things that wildlife never eat.”
When fire goes through a piece of property, how long does it take before wildlife can began using it?
“We’ve seen wild turkeys come to a fresh burn before the smoke even clears. They start finding things like acorns that become exposed when the brush and duff is removed,” Davis added.

When a fire goes through such areas, he noted that lots of native seeds and grasses that have laid dormant begin sprouting once sunlight begins to penetrate the forest floor. When desirable things begin to replace those that wildlife won’t eat, deer and turkeys are quickly attracted to the area.
When is a good time to run a controlled fire through a piece of property?
“Almost anytime is a good time but especially after a timber thinning or any time like after a storm causes damages that ground becomes exposed to sunlight,” Davis said.
What are some precautions that must be taken into account before planning a prescribed burn?
“The first thing that must be done is to have adequate fire breaks that will stop fire from going where you don’t want it to go. Wind direction and velocity is also important. It is also important to consider neighboring property and which direction smoke will travel. You especially don’t want to send smoke over neighbors, especially those with health problems,” Davis added.
Other than deer and turkeys, do other species of wildlife benefit from a prescribed burn?
“There are no wild creatures that won’t benefit from a prescribed burn. Birds and squirrels benefit as often, den trees are left for nesting as well as having foods they prefer begin growing,” said Davis.
Are you interested in learning more about prescribed burning on your property and if it might benefit you? There is a meeting scheduled for September 12 at 6:00 at the Lincoln Parish

Sheriff’s Office where anyone interested in this method of property management is invited to attend.
“We invite anyone who has an interest in what prescribed burning is all about,” Davis said, “and we want more people to realize just what a controlled fire can do to enhance what you already have.”