Prescribed Fire

Currently, 17 associations exist in Oklahoma for prescribed burning, and more will be formed with assistance from the Oklahoma Prescribed Burn Association.

Noble Research Institute researchers demonstrate that prescribed fire can play an important role in managing pasture and wildlife habitat.

Fire is a natural process to which plant communities have adapted. Drought, which in recent years has been a major issue in the Southern Great Plains, is also a natural process to which these plant communities have adapted.

Prescribed fire is a powerful tool that can be used to achieve management goals and manipulate vegetation. When conducting a burn, good communication between the burn crew members is critical for conducting it safely.

Many landowners already use prescribed fire for accomplishing their management goals. However, most landowners do not, due to fear of liability as well as a lack of knowledge, labor and equipment.

Coarse and volatile fuels cause problems when located too close to firebreaks during prescribed burns. Coarse fuels are woody materials that burn for a relatively long time, such as brush piles, snags, logs or stumps.