In honor of 250 years since 1776, the Ohio Commission for the U.S. Semiquincentennial (America 250) has chosen a different theme each month to highlight and celebrate Ohio’s rich history. For the month of Ohio Works: Innovation & Industry, read about one of the most innovative ways Emma Farmer has learned to maintain an ecosystem: prescribed fire.
“Whether you’re camping or at a cookout, fire can be a scary prospect. Getting to see it used in a productive way has been truly influential on me,” said Farmer, Ecosystems Manager at The Dawes Arboretum.
Farmer is talking about prescribed fire, which can also be called "controlled burns,” “RX fire,” or a “prescribed burn.” Prescribed fire is an innovative way to manage and maintain ecosystems.
Prescribed fire began with Indigenous Peoples and was adopted by European settlers. Today, it’s used all over the world as a way to keep ecosystems and habitats healthy. An easy way to think about prescribed fire is similar to that of a doctor – they prescribe people medicine when they’re sick. Similarly, scientists and burn managers prescribe a burn to an environment if it needs it and will make it healthier.
Prescribed fire is utilizing fire on a landscape to meet a certain objective – whether that’s to reduce invasive species, reduce woody encroachment or reduce biomass. It’s been used at The Arboretum, specifically within our prairie ecosystems. Dawes has used prescribed fire as a treatment and its management objective is to reduce woody plants as well as invasive ones to keep our ecosystems and habitats healthy for its inhabitants and plants.
Farmer experienced her first prescribed fire in 2023 at Newell Preserve in Licking County and describes the experience as nothing short of amazing and something she’ll never forget.
“I’ve learned so much,” she said. “It’s indescribable to be standing next to a 12 foot tall fire…on purpose.”
One of the tools that Farmer has used to light the fire is called a drip torch – a metal canister with a cotton wick on the end of it. There’s fuel inside the canister (a mixture of diesel and gasoline), and the wick is on fire. When she tips the canister down or “drips” the mixture, it falls past the flaming wick and then onto the ground, which is what actually sets the fire.
As for the wildlife and insects that could be affected by prescribed fire, Farmer says a lot of conversation happens before the burn about minimizing impact. For example, rotational burns ensure an amount of suitable habitat remains each year.
For Dawes, this means only burning one third of a burnable area in a given year and rotating to a different third in the following year.
Controlled burns can’t be conducted by just anyone. There are specific certifications and training required before becoming an Ohio Certified Burn Manager. This extensive training ensures that prescribed fire can be implemented safely. Farmer is currently training to become a Certified Burn Manager and is hopeful to gain her certification in the near future.
If there’s one thing that Farmer would want people to take away from prescribed burns, it’s that fire isn’t always a bad thing. It can be an extremely useful tool for prairie and woodland management. Additionally, she’d want people to know that fire in a prescribed burn is conducted in a safe way that’s done to keep everyone involved safe.