Personnel from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are scheduled to conduct a series of controlled burns on Patuxent Research Refuge lands. Depending on weather conditions and available personnel, an early spring burn is planned for the refuge on or about Thursday, March 21 through Tuesday, April 30. Residents and visitors to the Laurel/Bowie/Odenton area may see or smell smoke periodically during this time. The burns will occur in several areas located on the Refuge’s North Tract, which is located off Md. Route 198 and the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, east of Laurel. Controlled fires are also planned for the Refuge’s South Tract near the National Wildlife Visitor Center off Powder Mill Road. Expert fire teams use fire to remove dead biomass for future vegetation and habitat management, to facilitate control of non-native plants and to restore important wildlife habitat. Another use of controlled burns is to reduce hazardous fuels: flammable vegetation that could pose hazards to visitors and local communities if they burned in an uncontrolled wildfire. According to Brad Knudson, refuge manager, “Research indicates that controlled burning has many benefits over other habitat management practices. Fire helps control undesirable exotic plants, maintains grassland habitat for nesting birds and small mammals, promotes wild flowers and other native plants, reduces the accumulation of organic debris and releases nutrients back into the soil.” The areas where the burns will be conducted are primarily grasslands in need of woody vegetation control to maintain their grassland state. The fire team will only burn under favorable weather conditions to keep the fire manageable and minimize smoke in local communities. Because burning is weather-dependent, it is difficult to provide significant advanced notice of the timing of each burn. However, appropriate state and county agencies will be notified ahead of each burn. Because human safety is the number one priority during controlled burning, some refuge roads may be closed to the public. Visitors are encouraged to check with the refuge for possible road closures. Controlled burns are authorized under Patuxent Research Refuge’s Prescribed Fire Plan, updated and approved by Fish and Wildlife Service officials every three years. For additional information on the refuge see fws.gov/refuge/patuxent.
