Great Plains Published
For years, fire department administrators have struggled to find an alternative to having firefighters ride on the outside of a moving vehicle to spray wild fires.
Using a remote control nozzle is one alternative. Following research and design, the Kansas Forest Service Fire Shop has produced the first Kansas Forest Service remote wildland fire monitor. Its components are readily available and inexpensive.
Integrated management of eastern redcedar on pasture and grasslands should be based on a combination of cultural, mechanical, biological and chemical tools to keep this tree from continuing to spread while protecting grassland production and profits. Tree height should be used as a determining factor for control options. Burning, cutting, digging, mowing, use of goats and broadcast herbicide application are effective on trees up to 2 feet tall. Cutting and individual tree herbicide treatments work well on eastern redcedar 2-10 feet tall. Trees over 10 feet in height are most effectively and economically controlled by cutting. The bottom line is “control trees while they are small.”
When considering components such as fuels, topography, and regulations that must be taken into account before conducting a prescribed burn, one factor is completely beyond our control: weather. This publication lists several resources that provide detailed current weather information for a given location.
The tallgrass prairie is one of the most endangered ecosystems in North America. Prescribed burning, the practice of planning and conducting a burn to achieve pre-identified management objectives, was practiced by Native Americans prior to European settlement. Modern grassland managers also burn, using a blend of ecosystem science and practical management to maintain the expansive landscapes of the Great Plains.
Information on the Flint Hills Smoke Management Plan can be found at https://www.ksfire.org. And additional resources are at https://gpfirescience.org.
John Weir, Oklahoma State University, discusses research from cattle grazing after a prescribed burn.
John Weir, Oklahoma State University, discusses research on how to control brush on a prairie
John Weir, Oklahoma State University, discusses the results of research from the areas that aren’t burned in the Season of Burn plots.
John Weir, Oklahoma State University, discusses research in controlling sericea lespedeza by using prescribed burning.
John Weir, Oklahoma State University, discusses research on the effects of prescirbed burning during different seasons of the year.