"Prescribed burns are an important tool to burn excess vegetation, keep landscapes healthy and reduce the risk of destructive wildfires. But starting last week, some Forest Service staff were told not to conduct burns in preparation for a potential shutdown. "We were told, 'No ignitions,'" said a Forest Service fire management officer, who didn't want to be named for fear of losing his job. "'Don't even start.'""
"Last week, thousands of acres were considered ready to burn. 'Windows are few and far between,' he said. 'When you're missing windows, it's super disappointing.' The cooler, wetter fall season is an ideal time for prescribed burns and pile burning across the West. 'It's a huge deal,' said Bobbie Scopa, the executive secretary for Grassroots Wildland Firefighters, an advocacy group for federal wildland firefighters. 'This is the time of year you can get some really effective prescribed burning done.'"
The Forest Service paused most wildfire preparation and prevention activities across its 193 million acres due to the federal government shutdown. A contingency plan allows continued wildfire response but suspends fuel-reduction work such as prescribed burns. Staff were instructed to avoid ignitions, canceling many ready windows for fall burns; some regions had upward of 10,000 acres prepared to burn. Cooler, wetter fall conditions offer ideal opportunities for prescribed and pile burning, and loss of those windows reduces effectiveness. Scientific experiments timed with prescribed fire may be severely impacted. Additional delays include statewide forest inventories, special-use permit processing and reimbursements to partner organizations, and reduced recreational access.
Read at High Country News
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