A Day on the Fireline

I watched 16 acres of grass fields burn to the bare soil at Mason Neck State Park last week and I enjoyed every second of it. Not in a sinister way, but in a dignified and humbling kind of way.

Warm-season grassy meadow, field 1 of 4 before burning

Fire has not always been something even remotely interesting to me. It didn’t scare me, but it just never sparked my interest - at least, not until I had the opportunity to work with fire for the greater ecological good. After witnessing my first prescribed burn on Friday, my whole world was flipped upside-down.

Many adjectives describe fire: terrifying, destructive, erratic, voracious, maybe thrilling or even mesmerizing. The problem is, more than half of them carry a negative connotation. Now check out my list of adjectives to describe fire: rejuvenating, bold, beautiful, warming, cleansing and invaluable. I’m here shed light on any burning questions you might have regarding fire in the conservation world.

Please enjoy the following introduction video (I will never be a good impromptu speaker and I have already accepted that so just enjoy the embedded message):

Obviously I can’t talk and focus on the radio at the same time

Think back to watching the news as a child and viewing a scene with brave firefighters venturing into towering flames. Sometimes it was a house, sometimes it was in the great outdoors with rolling ridgelines and thickets of evergreens spanning for miles. Regardless of the situation, we all had a moment each time where we thought to ourselves, “I hope those firefighters can put out that awful fire and emerge safely”. That awful fire. We go on with our lives thinking about how terribly destructive that fire was and how it shouldn’t have been there in the first place (excluding accidental urban fires). What if I told you that fire was a beneficial (and quite normal) phenomenon in which ecosystems could not survive without?

Numerous ecosystems require natural fires to promote healthy regeneration of plants, fungi, animals, and other organisms. Prairies, deserts, chaparral, warm-season grass fields, glades, and even forests all rely on fire to remain healthy and productive - this is the basic premise of fire ecology. Historically, humans have done their best to prevent wildfires, but now it is of utmost importance to bring the fire back into our conservation efforts and embrace its power.

This old growth forest is a prime example of an ecosystem undisturbed by fire

Long story short, creating controlled wildfires helps to prevents larger, unwanted fires from occurring and racking up serious damage. That is where resource managers come into play - they identify land that requires burning, assess the best conditions in which they can burn safely, and then execute the prescribed burn. These prescribed burns (or prescribed fires) are awesome for a couple of reasons:

• “Reduces hazardous fuels, protecting human communities from extreme fires;
• Minimizes the spread of pest insects and disease;
• Removes unwanted species that threaten species native to an ecosystem;
• Provides forage for game;
• Improves habitat for threatened and endangered species;
• Recycles nutrients back to the soil; and
• Promotes the growth of trees, wildflowers, and other plants;”
• Taken from the US Forest Service Prescribed Fire Page

By now you’re probably thinking, “Ok, sign me up - let’s light some stuff on fire!” But let’s think: prescribed fires are inherently prescribed, just what the resource manager ordered, right? They are intentional and performed by professionals who have dedicated hours to learning the complicated mechanisms behind fire behavior and management. It ultimately comes down to the right people carefully prescribing “the right fire at the right place at the right time” (US Forest Service).

Some of the burn crew monitoring the fire

This brings me back to Mason Neck. This burn was executed by a VSP team of certified Wildland Firefighters. Unfortunately, I was just a week away from becoming certified, so instead of burning I snagged a front row seat and experienced my first burn behind the fireline. You’re probably wondering what it’s like to be on the fireline - let me show you!

Standing in the observation tower from a nearby trail, I was able to see it all. The drip torch had strategic placement every time it swept across the field. The light fuel grasses (quick to dry out & catch, thin, burns hot) were very flashy, which served as a constant reminder to those on ignition crew to keep trucking along and don’t even let the green briars in your way slow you down - otherwise your safety will be quickly compromised. I witnessed the fire tactics achieve success as each member placed their internal struggles on the back burner.

Watching unburned fuels voraciously consumed by flashy fire is impressive, but nothing prepared me for the overwhelming roaring and crackling noises accompanied by a massive fire. Nor was I prepared for the scorching-hot radiation singeing my face, or the brutal convective winds forcing heat, gases and debris upwards in a deadly spiral and frivolously scattering away.

“The green” unburned fuels vs. “the black” fuels exhausted, field 1 of 4

Nothing prepared me for that humbling experience of a chapped face smeared with bits of ash, struggling to locate fresh Oxygen as the local winds briefly smothered me with Carbon Monoxide. As I found out, prescribed burns are wildly effective (and beautiful) management tools but you cannot underestimate their inherently scorching, dangerous and unpredictable nature. Truthfully, it was better to be unprepared so that when my time comes to serve on the fireline, I can safely prepare for anything.

Now, the real reward comes during the spring and summer seasons. Soon enough those fields will flourish with lush green grasses, courting Spring Peepers and Red-spotted Newts, foraging Cottontails and vibrant pollinators of all families in the animal kingdom.