FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FEBRUARY 1, 2024
Georgia is marking the importance of “good fire” during Prescribed Fire Awareness Week, February 5-11, 2024, as declared by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp. Prescribed fire is used by qualified land managers to clear underbrush and vegetative debris, which can fuel dangerous wildfires, or “bad fires,” and for effective ecosystem management.
“Prescribed fires have tremendous value for the health of our forests and its wildlife,” said Georgia Forestry Commission Director Tim Lowrimore. “These burns help prevent wildfire, protecting property and lives. They also stimulate new plant growth, which wildlife depend on for food and shelter.”
Last year, more than one-million acres of forestland were prescribe-burned in Georgia. Certified practitioners are trained in the application of fire, carefully calculating weather conditions and wind patterns to reduce any risk of escaped fire or smoke impact. Prescribed burns are usually started in the morning after the dew has lifted and are extinguished well before nightfall.
Prescribed fire is routinely utilized to enhance the health of Georgia’s 24-million acres of forestland. All native ecosystems depend on the presence of fire at various intervals, including that of the longleaf pine forest and gopher tortoise. White-tailed deer, the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker, and many native songbirds are fire dependent as well.
The Georgia Forestry Commission protects citizens and their property from wildfire and assists landowners with fire strategies. To learn more about wildfire, prescribed burning, and services of the Georgia Forestry Commission, visit GaTrees.org.