Full news release:
On Tuesday, February 10th, officials with the Arkansas Forestry Commission (AFC) and the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission will conduct a 35-acre prescribed burn on a portion of the Illinois Watershed in downtown Cave Springs. Fire management plans are in place to ensure – most importantly - the safety of nearby residents, as well as the main objective of this effort, which is to reduce dead, flammable vegetation and create a safer, more wildfire-resistant space.
Residents should drive cautiously and expect some residual smoke from the carefully managed prescribed burn. Weather conditions will be monitored throughout the day to ensure that wind speed and direction, and humidity levels remain within safe parameters for small, slow-moving flames. The mixing height, or height at which hot air and smoke will rise, mix with the atmosphere, and disperse, will play a large role as to when the prescribed burn begins. A proper mixing height will safeguard that smoke is carried out of the area and away from populated areas in surrounding communities, namely Rogers.
“As stewards of Arkansas’s forests, we are committed to safely and efficiently reducing hazardous forest fuels to minimize the risk of destructive wildfires. This prescribed burn planned for this portion of the watershed will be managed by a team of wildfire experts, and backed up by assistance from local fire departments. A healthier, safer forested area will almost immediately follow this prescribed burn effort,” said AFC County Ranger, George Stowe-Rains.
This site is currently covered in flammable, dry vegetation (including dead branches, logs, and other woody brush, dead leaves, briars, and thick vines), that has not recently been exposed to treatment by prescribed fire. If a wildfire moved through this area at the present time, flames could quickly build speed and size. The prescribed fire will create a less flammable, fire-treated buffer zone. Should a wildfire reach the burn site after the prescribed burn, flames will be exposed to less dry, flammable fuels and thereby can be more quickly and effectively stopped by fire officials.
Forested areas treated by prescribed fire not only provide for added fire safety, these sites are also more likely to attract wildlife; more available to the growth of herbaceous, native plant species (like colorful wildflowers); and, are more likely to host healthy trees, less susceptible to disease and insects. When the forest floor is opened by a prescribed burn, turkey, white-tailed deer, and quail habitats are often the first to benefit. Prescribed fire creates the unique forest structure and diversity that provides wildlife habitat for nesting, hiding, and reproduction.
The mission of the AFC is to protect Arkansas’s forests, and those who enjoy them, from wildland fire and natural hazards while promoting rural and urban forest health, stewardship, development, and conservation for all generations of Arkansans. To report a wildfire, or inquire about wildfire danger, call the AFC Dispatch Center at 1-800-468-8834. To report an emergency, dial 911. To visit with the Benton County AFC Crew, call 479-644-5047. Stay updated on AFC updates and warnings at www.arkfireinfo.org or www.forestry.arkansas.gov.