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Forest service clears out the fuel that could make a blaze an inferno
By RENÉE C. LEE
The Houston Chronicle (Texas)
For Ernest Hildebrandt, the columns of light gray smoke rising from the burnt tree stumps across from his front yard are just part of country living.
About every two to three years, flames spread over several hundred acres and a heavy scent of burning timber fills the air near his home. But he says it doesn’t concern him because he knows something good will come of it.
Hildebrandt’s home faces more than 1,000 acres of Sam Houston National Forest off FM 1375, northwest of New Waverly in Walker County. On Friday, the U.S. Forest Service set 800 acres on fire in what it calls a prescribed or controlled burn.
Every year, the forest service purposely burns about 30,000 acres of the 163,000-acre national forest to help restore wildlife habitat and to kill overgrown underbrush that becomes perfect fuel for wild fires. About 20,000 acres has been burned so far.
“It reduces hazardous fuel next to houses and if there is a wild fire, there’s not as much fuel, which makes it easier to control the wild fire,” said Jason Klawinsky, acting assistant fire manager officer.
Youpon, buttonbush, American beauty berry and sweetgum are among the vegetation on the forest floor that accumulate and create fire hazards.
Controlled burns reduce the amount of thick brush and create a more open forest, which is good for wild turkeys, deer and the red-cockaded woodpecker, an endangered species. The Sam Houston National Forest has 170 colonies of the woodpecker, said District Ranger Kent Evans, who was responsible for the oversight of Friday’s burn.
The burns also increase the herbaceous plant community in the forest, he said.
The forest service starts burning in October and usually wraps up by May 1. This year, burning got off to a slow start because of severe drought conditions during the summer that continued into the fall, Klawinsky said. Burning picked up in January when there was more moisture, he said.
The forest service must consider numerous factors before starting a controlled burn, including temperature, humidity, precipitation, and transport wind, which help predict how the fire will behave. The service receives a fire weather forecast from the National Weather Service in League City the morning of a scheduled burn to make sure those conditions are within their burning guidelines.
The forest service tries to burn certain areas of the forest, such as the one near Hildebrandt’s home, every two to three years, Klawinsky said. The burn site range from 10 acres to 3,000 acres.
“A lot of people see the smoke and call 911,” he said. “We notify the area 911 centers to let them know when we are going to burn. Prevention and public relations go a long way with prescribed burning.”
Montgomery County Fire Marshal Jimmy Williams said he had received some complaints about smoke earlier this week when the forest service was burning in the Montgomery County area.
Evans said the forest service notifies residents about two to three months in advance when there will be a burn near their home. They follow up with a phone call and a notice on the door the day of the burning, he said.
Klawinsky said most residents understand why the burns are important and likes for the forest service to do them because it protects their homes from potential wild fires.
Karis Little, whose home is about a half mile from Friday’s burn site, said the forest service always does a good job, so she never worries about the fire reaching her home, where she’s lived since 1945.
“I think it’s a good thing,” Little said. “For people with respiratory problems they should make sure they’re not home. The smoke doesn’t bother me.”
Hildebrandt, who has lived in his home for 11 years, feels the same way. He said the forest service makes sure the smoke blows away from the homes.
“We’re just so blessed to live out where it’s quiet and near the national forest,” he said.