State Parks Expand Prescribed Fire Abilities With Grant

The State Parks Division of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) was recently awarded a $25,000 grant from the Alabama Association of Resource Conservation and Development Councils (AARCDC) to cover the purchase of prescribed fire equipment to expand its habitat restoration program. The newly purchased equipment includes drip torches, blowers, a chainsaw, hand tools, safety equipment, signage, a branded trailer to store and transport the new gear and a 130-gal. water tank with a specialized pump and hose for managing the burns. The new equipment will also increase the division’s ability to reduce wildfire risks at state parks and assist its partners with other prescribed fire projects and wildfire suppression throughout the state. Prescribed fire is an important land and wildlife management tool used to restore and improve natural habitats that can benefit wildlife by stimulating new plant growth that serves as food for several species including wild turkeys, white-tailed deer, bobwhite quails, fox squirrels, woodpeckers and bluebirds. It is also an effective way to reduce wildfire risks, control invasive plants and maintain healthy forest ecosystems.