Exploring Barriers to Prescribed Fire Adoption in the Northeast
Sponsor: Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions
Team Leader:
- Rose Abramoff, School of Forest Resources, University of Maine
Team Members:
- John Daigle, School of Forest Resources, University of Maine
- Adam Daigneault, School of Forest Resources, University of Maine
- Lydia Horne, School of Forest Resources, University of Maine
- Keith Kanoti, School of Forest Resources, University of Maine
Partners:
- Forest Stewards Guild
- Maine Forest Service
- Maine Coast Heritage Trust
- North Atlantic Fire Science Exchange
- The Nature Conservancy
Prescribed fire — a planned, controlled fire intentionally set by trained professionals for ecological purposes — is increasingly being employed in the United States to reduce flammable material, control unwanted species, enhance habitat, support culturally important species, and train practitioners. In the Northeast, however, prescribed fire is not widely used despite its historical precedent.
“Before European colonization in the Northeast, many Indigenous communities used fire to encourage useful plants, support agriculture and hunting, and clear underbrush. Yet 20th-century fire suppression policies have since limited its use,” said Rose Zheng Abramoff, an assistant professor of forest science in the University of Maine’s School of Forest Resources.
Recent large wildfires in Massachusetts and Quebec demonstrate that the Northeast is not immune to wildfires, and Abramoff believes prescribed fire could be a valuable land management tool in Maine.
While prescribed fire is used for a wide variety of objectives—and may not be appropriate or safe in all of Maine’s forest types—it can, in some contexts, help reduce surface fuels and mitigate the risk of fire to Maine’s forests, infrastructure, and livelihoods. This could be particularly important in Maine which is the most forested state and has a predominantly forest-based economy.
This seed project explores the consequences of using prescribed fire in Maine and the barriers experienced by land managers across different sectors and demographics. The project includes a robust interdisciplinary network of partners including the North Atlantic Fire Science Exchange, Forest Stewards Guild, The Nature Conservancy, the Maine Forest Service, and Maine Coast Heritage Trust. One undergraduate student will join the project.
Phase one of the grant involves researching existing literature and regulatory documents and interacting with project partners to assess the barriers to using prescribed fire. The group will also participate in a prescribed burn at UMaine’s Dwight B. Demeritt Forest, using this experience to guide the planning process for phase two’s Learn & Burn event.
The in-person Learn & Burn event will bring together land managers, research partners, students, and other community members. Plans may include formal training, informal training, relational activities, youth-centered activities, and historical and cultural education.
The Learn & Burn will further scientific understanding of prescribed burns in the Northeast including fire behavior, ignition techniques, safety, and smoke management. It will also be used to evaluate changes in knowledge and barriers to implementing prescribed burns.
Additionally, Abramoff said, “We will also strengthen communication among the various organizations capable of preventing and responding to wildland fire damage in Maine and the land managers they serve across different sectors.”