Photo By Scott Sturkol | Fort McCoy prescribed burn team members prepare for a prescribed burn Dec. 2, 2021,...... read more read more
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Fort McCoy held a rare prescribed burn in December as conditions were ideal to have it completed.
The burn took place Dec. 2 on 546 acres around Range 26 and just outside the impact area in a training area on North Post at Fort McCoy.
Personnel with the Fort McCoy Directorate of Emergency Services Fire Department; Directorate of Public Works Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch; Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security; and the Colorado State University Center of Environmental Management of Military Lands under contract with the post help coordinate each prescribed burn at the post.
Charles Mentzel, installation forester for the Directorate of Public Works (DPW) Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch, said completing and planning prescribed burns has to be a team approach.
“Prescribed burns, generally, are done in the spring and fall seasons because weather conditions are most favorable at those times,” Mentzel said.
Kevin Luepke, Fort McCoy natural resources specialist who oversaw the Dec. 1 burn, said it was an ideal opportunity.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources defines prescribed burns as a way to “improve wildlife habitat, control invasive plant species, restore and maintain native plant communities and reduce wildfire potential.”
Prescribed burns reduce wildfire potential, which this area burns every year if we don’t burn it prior to training, Mentzel said.
“Prescribed burns benefit the environment many ways and are one of the tools we can use on a large scale to improve our wildlife habitat,” he said.
Mentzel said prescribed burns help set back invasive species, and they burn up their seed banks. Burns also give native species an opportunity to compete against some of the non-native species, as many native species depend on fire to help stimulate them and set back non-native species.
“The burns also set back small trees and shrubs and make them grow again from the stump,” Mentzel said. “This allows for more food for deer and other animals and removes unwanted (tree) species from growing underneath an oak forest.”
Fort McCoy was established in 1909 and its motto is to be the “Total Force Training Center.” Located in the heart of the upper Midwest, Fort McCoy is the only U.S. Army installation in Wisconsin.
The installation has provided support and facilities for the field and classroom training of more than 100,000 military personnel from all services nearly every year since 1984.
Learn more about Fort McCoy online at https://home.army.mil/mccoy, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” and on Twitter by searching “usagmccoy.” Also try downloading the Digital Garrison app to your smartphone and set “Fort McCoy” or another installation as your preferred base.
| Date Taken: | 12.10.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 12.10.2021 16:14 |
| Story ID: | 410934 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 149 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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