Fairhope, Alabama thefairhopetimes.blogspot.com
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| Representative Fidler. |
State House District 94's Representative Jennifer Fidler was on hand for a prescribed burn at the Weeks Bay Reserve today; she participated in a boat tour of the reserve's property earlier as well.
Fidler said she is a strong supporter of periodic burning to maintain the natural ecosystem.
Weeks Bay's Announcement: " ... The prescribed burn complies with a permit from the Alabama Forestry Commission and will be conducted under the direction of a Certified Prescribed Burn Manager. Every effort is being made to ensure safety and proper smoke management during this burn. Please note that while our area is under an Alabama Department of Environmental Management Summer Burn Restriction (commonly referred to as the ADEM Summer Burn Ban), these restrictions do not apply to permitted burns conducted for wildlife habitat improvement, understory control, and other silvicultural purposes. The use of prescribed fire enables the Alabama State Lands Division to better manage its land resources into the future. Prescribed fire is an effective way to reduce wildfire risk, reduce fuel loads, enhance wildlife habitat, and maintain a healthy forest ecosystem. This is especially important in the south Alabama coastal region due to vegetation type and a longer growing season. The planned burn is considered a "growing season" fire and is intended to mimic natural fires that were once much more common across the southeast. Historically, much of the landscape around Weeks Bay would have burned naturally about every three years because of lightning ignited fires. These frequent fires resulted in a lot of sunlight reaching the forest floor and supported an amazing diversity of native plant species, including carnivorous plants like the white-topped pitcher plant. Over the next few weeks be sure to visit the Reserve to witness the rapid regeneration of the forest following the fire."