On a Thursday in early September, I traveled to a Nature Conservancy preserve for a long-anticipated event: my first prescribed fire. After spending many hours completing the coursework to get certified, I was excited– and nervous– to experience a controlled burn in person. That morning, I gathered with the other burn crew members to make sure we had the proper gear and were familiar with the equipment we’d be using, and to load up on snacks for the day. During our morning briefing, our leaders explained the layout of our burn unit and the surrounding area, our goals for the day, and the weather conditions, including some potential wind gusts around 14:00 that we’d have to account for. We also went over our plan for the burn: we’d start the fire in the northwest corner of the unit and slowly spread it out from there, keeping the fire moving opposite the wind’s direction, which would prevent it from moving too fast or spreading out of control.
We split up into three teams: east holding, west holding, and ignitions. As a member of the west holding team, my job was to help my fellow crew members travel along the fire break (the boundary of our burn unit, cleared of vegetation to prevent the fire from spreading past it) and make sure the fire stayed within the boundaries of our burn area. We did this by using small fires to burn out an area next to the fire break ahead of the main fire’s progression, creating a buffer area that couldn’t catch fire again. Our job also included keeping a close eye out for any sparks or embers crossing the fire break and being ready to quell them with hand tools. As we progressed along one side of the burn area, the east holding team would be doing the same on the other side and the ignitions team would be lighting the fire in the interior of the unit. Out on the burn unit, I used a device called a drip torch to light small strips of vegetation. Through the smoke and heat, I watched the fire travel through the dry brush and listened on my radio to the progression of the other teams. A prescribed burn is both very exciting and a little bit boring. Watching the fire transform a brushy area into a charred, smoking landscape is awe inspiring, but much of an actual burn consists of waiting for other teams to progress, searching adjacent areas for signs of rogue sparks, and double checking that burned areas are completely extinguished.
Of course, we didn’t burn that day for our own amusement. The fire was implemented as part of a management plan to help preserve a unique fire-adapted ecosystem full of habitat for plants and wildlife. Prescribed fire also helps to prevent destructive wildfires by removing fuels and ensuring that fires, which are a natural part of many ecosystems, happen in a controlled way instead of at the whims of nature. As exciting as it was to participate in a prescribed burn, it was even better to know that I was helping to preserve the ecosystem diversity and resilience of this region. That feeling has been the best part of my AmeriCorps service, whether I’ve been helping with prescribed burns, removing invasive plants, conducting ecological monitoring, or inspecting preserves. For most of my life, I’ve been pretty indecisive about my career path, but something that’s always held constant has been my love of nature and passion for protecting the environment, both for the sake of nature and for the people who use and depend on the land. My AmeriCorps experience has given me the chance to get involved in advancing those values in my own home state. Wherever my future experiences take me, I hope to continue to be guided by my passion for conservation and to have more opportunities like this one to witness and participate in efforts to preserve and strengthen our ecosystems.
Zoe is a half-term member serving with The Nature Conservancy. In her free time, you might find her running or playing the cello. Learn more about Zoe here!