ANOTHER Reason Prescribed Habitat Fires are Necessary: Wild Turkeys

Prescribed burns are among our most important conservation tools.

In the last couple of months, our West Coast was reminded of a critical fact of life: Fire is good when it’s under control. Over the years, places like California have become more and more resistant to habitat management via controlled burns. Yes, it’s true that even prescribed burns can result in the death of some wildlife. But the thing that so many people forget is that our entire ecosystem evolved in concert with naturally occurring wildfires, which are in truth just a part of the cycle of death and regrowth that’s been going on since the surface of the earth cooled enough to be solid.

These days, we humans have tamed and domesticated so much terrain that we no longer tolerate naturally occurring wildfires, even in relatively unpopulated areas. That’s for our own safety, which, yes, comes first. But we that means that we now must be complete stewards of the land, and that means that we need to perform controlled burns in backcountry areas to prevent out-of-control wildfires.

It’s not just about clearing out old, dry, dead plant matter to deny a naturally occurring wildfire fuel that would let it go out of control (although Los Angeles now understands just how important that is, now). It’s also about the way fire transforms a landscape. Right after the burn, the vegetation grows back fresher and more nutritious, with more space for nesting. In fact, the American wild turkey is attracted to recently burned patches … according to this video from the National Wild Turkey Federation, it might just be the best way to attract a flock of thunder chickens to your land or lease!

Again, we must reiterate that you should check with your local authorities about when and how prescribed burns can be performed–don’t do it on your own! For more information, check out NWTF.org.