A successful fire season can be a welcome change after years of uncooperative weather and various scheduling constraints. In 2015, the MnDOT District 2 fire crew completed three successful burns, all on Hwy 75 in the southwest subarea: two last spring and one this fall.
How are prescribed fires used?
Prescribed fires are being used on roadsides to improve the growth of native vegetation. While these fires positively affect the control of weeds and brush, their primary benefit lies in creating healthier roadside vegetation that is better able to perform its roadside functions, including soil stabilization, stormwater management, resistance to weed invasion and, in some situations, control of blowing snow. Prescribed fires also provide auxiliary benefits such as improving the appearance of roadsides and maintaining habitat for wildlife and rare plants.
How are fire crew members trained?
Fire crew members are trained as wildland firefighters, which meets the requirements of the MnDOT Prescribed Fire Policy as well as standards used by the Minnesota DNR and federal land management agencies. It is this training and a lot of planning that ensure that prescribed fires can be implemented safely and effectively. The crew must be ready to take advantage of the right weather conditions when they occur. Coordination also needs to involve law enforcement, fire departments, adjacent railroads, neighboring landowners, the media, and others to make the burn go smoothly.
What do prescribed fires look like?
Here are a few pictures highlighting some of the District 2 fire crew's work in 2015.