We tend to think of disasters like hurricanes, tornadoes and fires as events that only affect humans. While, they certainly have negative and sometime fatal impacts on individuals and societies, nature looks at the big picture and doesn’t see it that way.

Take hurricanes, they flush out the coastal lagoons, rivers and bayous removing silt, organic matter and human refuse. Thick stands of brush and old trees are heavily impacted and new fresh grow takes over.

The effects of hurricanes are widespread wherever they make landfall. Tornadoes’ effects on the other hand are mostly local in nature but have similar impacts on the environment.

Now, fire has been around since lightning and volcanoes first came along and it does the most widespread alteration of the environment. Additionally, it inspires the greatest fear in man.

As man’s civilization developed and he observed what fire did to the environment. he thought of ways to use it to his advantage.

Native Americans as well as early settlers used fire historically. The Native Americans understood fire’s importance in maintaining their hunting grounds and habitats.

In the 1960s I worked on a blueberry farm called ‘Burnt Hill.’ It got its name from local Indian tribe that burned off the brush so the berry bushes would grow back with renewed vigor and increased production.

The owner followed a practice of burning off a third of the farm once a year.

Early American settlers used it to clear land for farming. This practice was discontinued in the early 1900s after some of these clearing fires got out of control and caused extensive damage.

These burns were an invitation to non-native and invasive plant species to take over the prairies and forests.

So why do we still do controlled burns? To reduce buildup of fuel.

Prescribed burning removes accumulated fuels and therefore the risk of intense fires.

Arson, human carelessness and lightning will inevitably ignite fires especially in campgrounds and parks. The damage caused by these fires is directly proportional to the type of material and their volume. A fire’s intensity is much lower with grasses and small shrubs than in a 10-year-old growth of palmettos, brush and dead pine trees.

Using controlled burns probably wouldn’t have reduced the number of fires in Alabama. but it would have reduced their intensity and damage to public and private property. In the long growing season of the Southeast, it takes only four to five years for fuels to return to levels that can cause serious damage.

In times of tight money it’s easy to say ‘we’ll do it next year’ when it comes to controlled burns. Low state funding requires high levels of creative thinking and new ways to address problems. Cities and towns all have fire departments, volunteered or paid, and they all need training.

We have a park that needs controlled burning — sounds like a plan ready to be made. Finding ways to do something is easier than finding way not to do it.

Think Global – Act Local!

Dr. “Skip” Lazauski’s television show “Eco-Bites”, can now be seen on youtube.com. To reach Dr. Lazauski for questions and comments, send e-mails to IchiOrca@yahoo.com. For more information, see his Web site, www.drskiponline.com.