Introduction
When you were younger did your family ever tell you not to play with fire? Were you told over and over again not to play with matches or lighters?
I am sure it was engrained in you that fire is bad and forest fires are bad as well. What if I told you that all forest fires are not bad?
Of course being safe around fire is really important, but fire can be a good thing in the forest when used as a management tool to remove snags dead trees , underbrush, or undesired species. Prescribed burns, also known as controlled burns, allow for a land owner to burn in a way that aides in managing their property. A control or prescribed burn is far different from a wildfire as it is planned and created to remove the items from the forest that are unwanted. A controlled burn is essentially "cleaning up the forest".
Following successful completion of this lesson, students will be able to...
- Analyze the importance of prescribed burning.
Essential Questions
- Why is prescribed burning important?
Enduring Understandings
- Each job, career and profession has a set of preparation requirements, career exploration experiences and different opportunities for personal and professional growth and satisfaction.
- Proper forest management is vital in creating a balance that not only protects forests and related habitats, but also allows for the use of renewable natural resources.
The above objectives correspond with the Alabama Course of Study: Career Tech: Forestry standard: 6.