Controlled Burn Response

Authors Note: This is a short response ,about controlled burns, to the seminar/field trip to the burned prairie.

Do controlled burns have risks and are they even safe for the environment? The answer to the first question is yes, and the second question is a yes and a no. Controlled burns have large risks at hand like the fire becoming too big or the wind changing direction. These are a big deal because large fires being out of control can become extremely harmful to the environment around the prairie, forest or controlled burning site. Surrounding dry trees or plants could catch fire and spread out of control. Winds changing direction could result in the fire spreading over the burning zone too fast. On of the things we learned was that you want to start the fire on the side that the wind is blowing to. An example is if the wind is blowing west then you would start the fire on the west side of the zone. You want to do this so the fire doesn't spread too fast across the field. One way to prevent these fires from spreading is to have a big tank of water and a hose around and ready to use. These are good and bad for the environment at the same time. They are good for the environment because when you burn down the plants, it makes new space for other plants to grow. Controlled burns can also be bad because they let off so much smoke into the environment. So controlled burns have a reason to be around but they could be good or bad.