All photos by Jonathan Schechter

Independence Oaks County Park,  March 17, 2012

NOTE: THIS BLOG IF A PHOTO SUPPLEMENT FOR THE SPECIAL OAKLAND OUTDOORS HIKER'S 

COLUMN APPEARING IN THE MARCH 25th EDITION OF THE OAKLAND PRESS. 
 www.theoaklandpress.com 

Prescribed fire is an increasingly common management tool used to maintain wildlands and parks.

 Fire can be a cathartic force stimulating native seed banks into growth while pushing back the spread 

of invasive plant species.  Prescribed fire can also be used to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire in 

areas that practiced total fire exclusion The burns are conducted by contracted crews of specialized 

wildland  firefighters  with  expertise in land management. In Oakland County, oak-hickory habitat and remnant  prairies and some marsh habitats are  fire-adapted environments that are commonly burned. 

Skillfully applied fire can also be used to alter  plantation style plantings of evergreens and bring the land

 back to a diverse, more ecologically sound landscape that benefits native flora and fauna.

Read the upcoming March 25th story for details on this prescribed fire and the practice.