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.
I think this should have been done years ago in all the state parks. Along with the metro parks too. It brings so much more life to the woods and grass land's.
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