Page 14 - e-news 2020

Burning and Habitat

No other habitat management practice can
positively impact as many acres in such a short

period of time and for as little money as prescribed fire.
Unfortunately, prescribed fire is often underutilized on private lands due
to a lack of knowledge or, in some cases, a fear of the practice. The use of

fire is not something to be taken lightly or without proper planning, but when
performed under the right conditions, it can be a very safe and effective tool for

the deer manager.

Using fire to manipulate upland habitat is nothing new. Natural fires caused by
lightning strikes shaped the North American landscape for thousands of years, and Native

Americans took notice of fire’s benefits. They used fire for a variety of reasons, from clearing land to
grow food to reducing pests such as ticks, rodents and venomous snakes. But they also saw the

improvements fire made to the habitat and how wildlife responded favorably to a burn. The same
benefits the Native Americans saw in fire are still relevant today. Periodic prescribed fire burns off leaf
litter and thatch from riparian areas and native grass stands, returns nutrients to the soil and kills

encroaching undesirable trees and brush species. This, in turn, stimulates the growth of various
grasses, legumes and other herbaceous plants. This new growth is typically more nutritious and

palatable than it was prior to burning. For deer, this means more cover and more forage.

Prescribed fire is not a once-and-done process. Adopting it on your hunting area is committing to
a periodic, long-term process. For white-tailed deer, an area should typically be burned in a rotation

every few years. Depending on the size of the property, you will probably want to break it up into
multiple “burn blocks” so you aren’t burning off your entire hunting area at once. By burning different
blocks in different years, you will create a patchwork of diverse habitat that provides a variety of cover

and forage for the deer. This can work to your advantage by drawing deer to a specific area of the
property for deciding where to place stands or ground blinds. The timing of your burn is an important

consideration. Most prescribed fires are conducted between February and April during the “dormant
season.” This time of year, the weather is more predictable and typically provides temperatures more
comfortable for burning. Growing-season burns — those conducted from mid-July through August — do

a better job of controlling woody vegetation and can provide more plant diversity. Their timing, however,
requires careful planning and it can sometimes be challenging to catch the right weather conditions for

your burn.