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Prescribed Burn
February 16, 2018
Fort Davis, Texas – Fire managers for the Fort Davis National Historic Site in Fort Davis, Texas have two fuel treatments planned February 16th; depending on current and expected weather conditions. Tactics to keep smoke impacts as minimal as possible include cancelling approved burns when conditions aren’t favourable, timing daytime ignitions to allow the majority of smoke to disperse prior to settling overnight, and burning larger sections at a time when conditions are favourable to reduce the overall number of days smoke is in the area.
San Antonio/El Paso Road prescribed burn is a 55 acre brush reduction burn located on the historic San Antonio to El Paso Road within the historic site just south and east of Highway 118. Vegetation is predominately mesquite brush with grass understory.
Hospital Canyon prescribed burn is a19 acre woody vegetation reduction burn located west of the Post Hospital and Officer’s Row. Vegetation is predominately grass and chaparral.
In the interest of safety, National Historic Site visitors are reminded to obey all traffic signs and use caution when traveling in the vicinity of the prescribed fire burn units as firefighters and fire-related traffic will be in the area. Drivers should be prepared for short delays adjacent to the burn along the Highways 118/17. All hiking trails will be closed during these operations.
Prescribed fires are one of the most effective tools available to resource managers for restoring fire-adapted ecosystems. These burns will mimic natural fires by reducing hazardous fuels accumulations, and reintroduce fire into a fire dependent system. Resource management objectives include restoring the historic setting and decreasing invasive brush. Prescribed fires are managed with firefighter and public safety as the first priority.
All prescribed fire activity is dependent on the availability of personnel and equipment, weather forecasts, fuels moisture levels and conditions that minimize smoke impacts as best as possible and notification provided to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, El Paso.
The public can obtain additional fire information via the following:
· Fort Davis NHS Website: http://www.nps.gov/foda/
· Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Fort DavisNHS/
· Fort Davis National Historic Site: (432) 426-3224
www.nps.gov
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