Et cetera NCCC’s Maple 1 Fires It Up!

By Rachel Ruggles 

Spring is finally here and with it comes the Midwest season of prescribed burning. “What is prescribed burning and why is it used?” you may ask. AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) team Maple 1 is working with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in Cushing, Minnesota to utilize this restoration technique and can answer your question. TNC is one of many organizations that use prescribed burning to maintain the natural habitats of their land, which vary anywhere from grassland prairies to oak forests.

Long ago, fire used to tear through the prairies and woodlands, igniting everything in its path. While this may seem harmful, it was actually extremely beneficial to the environment. Not only did it provide the temperatures needed for some plant species to reproduce, it also eliminated the invasive plants in the area to allow for the growth of native species.

Today, many agencies use the same technique in a more controlled manner to preserve areas of land and restore them back to the way they were before humans came around. Maple 1 is taking part in this process and learning lots along the way. “Learning how to use a chainsaw has been a great opportunity for me,” says Maple 1 member Will Bellille. “Burning has been an incredible experience, too.”

To prepare the units of land to be burnt (anywhere from 24 to 197 acres), Maple 1 uses fire rakes and brush cutters to develop mineral soil lines on each side of the unit so that the fire won’t be able to cross over to other areas of land. They also clear any brush from the bases of dead standing trees so the fire won’t be able to reach the trees and light them on fire. This is necessary because dead trees on fire can easily fall and injure people in the area. Maple 1 is happy to work hard and put their skills to use in something that will benefit the environment.