Fire and Ice....

A couple of days ago, the Center was prescribed to do a control burn of some of the wilderness areas on site. What is a control burn, you ask? It's exactly what it says it is...we are firm believers in wildlife management through habitat improvement, and fire is a major tool used in habitat improvement. North Carolina Foresters were on hand to "control" the burn...through a series of test burns and back burns, foresters are able to safely control a fire and maximize the improvements that a fire can produce.

Only days when fire circumstances warrant a burn, will a burn permit be issued. A variety of factors are used: wind direction and speed, temperature, and humidity levels are the most important, as well as man power.

The fire is historically important to pocosin lowlands in eastern North Carolina. Many expanses of swamp in our area will experience a major forest fire. Last year's fire in Tyrrell and Hyde counties burned thousands of acres. The slow buildup of carbon materials in a swamp is a damp fuse, waiting to be lit. When this occurs (usually through lightning), the impacts can be dramatic. Smoke blanketed our area and altered summer camp procedures. Forest fire crews swarmed the area to contain the fire. Interestingly enough, our peat bogs, once ignited can burn for decades. How do they do this? Peat moss is a layer of soil, usually submerged anywhere from an inch to 3 feet below the pedosphere (the ground we walk on) and cannot be reached with a hose...it burns slowly, though. The only way too extinguish these submerged inferno is through flooding the involved areas. These areas could include 100's of square miles!!!!

But still, fire is good. It removes dead or decaying vegetation. It encourages new growth from plants, which in turn provides new food and shelter for animals like rabbit and quail. And before you ask "do animals get burned?" - for the most part they do not. When it gets warm, an animals survival instincts kick in and they head out! Just like humans...

The property at the Center has nw been improved by: removing non-nutritive undergrowth such as briars and weeds (these rob our beautiful old growth forest of energy), burning dead ground matter such as old snags, and with the removal of these things, provides a fresh blanket of early succession grasses and legumes rich in proteins for field mice, rabbits, and squirrels.

But as hot as it was on Monday with the flame - we are now experiencing a light snow to cover these burned areas. Highs for the next couple of days will top out at 35 degrees.

Burning is an important management tool - and we would be glad to talk to anyone considering doing this to their property. Please contact the North Carolina Division of Forestry for information and assistance...they can tell you whether it is needed or not. They can also help you conduct this procedure in a safe manner.

Chase