Prescribed fire has been implemented in SMSC’s natural areas since 2001. A prescribed burn is an intentionally lit, low intensity fire. Prescribed burns benefit natural communities by removing dead biomass, adding nutrients to the soil, releasing native seed banks, and killing non-native and invasive species.

In a natural setting, fires would burn SMSC’s natural areas on a three to five year cycle and in some cases annually. Reports from settlers moving into prairie regions illustrate that fires burned annually, and only natural landscape features like lakes and rivers controlled fire spread. Accounts also suggest that Native Americans intentionally lit fires for many reasons but mostly as a hunting tool. Whether accidental or incidental, fire is a natural part of an ecosystem, and we attempt to replicate that with prescribed fire.

When we say prescribed fire it means that in order to light the fire it has to meet a few requirements, or be in prescription. There are three main components necessary for a fire to meet its prescription: relative humidity, temperature, and wind. The fire will be out of prescription and not lit if any one component exceeds an established threshold.

SMSC currently has eight federally qualified wildland firefighters and equipment necessary to implement prescribed burns. Staff from the Land and Natural Resources and Fire departments conduct burns on tribal land but also have worked with other organizations like the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, and local municipalities.

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