Curriculum

Prescribed fire liability standards vary from state to state and legal terms can sometimes be confusing. This fact sheet describes the different standards of care applied in prescribed burning‐related lawsuits.

Resistance to the use of prescribed fire is strong among many private land managers despite the advantages it offers for maintaining fire-prone ecosystems. Often, managers who are aware of the benefits of using prescribed fire as a management tool avoid using it because of fear of liability for damages that may result from an escaped fire or smoke.

The ecological value of shortgrass prairies in North America has become increasingly evident as populations of prairie dog (Cynomys spp.) and burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia) begin to decline.

The varied regions of the Great Plains share a history of fire, for example, the mixed‐grass prairies of the Dakotas, tallgrass prairie of Kansas, and cross timbers of Texas all evolved with periodic burning.

The Great Plains is a fire-dependent ecosystem with short fire return intervals. Based on fire spread and ignition modeling, patch burn grazing could be a useful tool for reducing the incidence and severity of large, catastrophic fires.

Alteration of grassland disturbance regimes has greatly diminished grassland structural complexity and is likely a contributing factor to the decline in grassland bird populations.

Conducting planned burns and lighting unplanned fires carries some inherent risk for injury. Even though firefighters train and plan in an effort to reduce risks on the fireline, accidents still happen.

In Great Plains grasslands, grasses are typically the dominant plant life form because of their exceptional competitive abilities. With extensive root systems in the upper soil layers, grasses are able to exploit soil resources such as water and nutrients to a degree that many non‐grass plants aren’t able to.