Wallace State’s forestry students conduct controlled burn
HANCEVILLE, ALA. – Wallace State students enrolled in the college’s Seminar in Forestry class recently participated in a controlled burn in the woods across from the Agricultural Production/Horticulture building.
The Hanceville Fire Department and the Cullman Forestry Service assisted Wallace State in the burn, demonstrating all the vital equipment they use to extinguish a wildfire or forest fire and discussed steps to properly beginning a controlled burn. Students in the class were allowed to utilize various tools throughout the burning process.
Anthony Hilliard, Wallace State’s Agricultural Production/Horticulture Department Head, said the controlled burn is a prime opportunity for his forestry students to get a hands-on experience in the field. He cautioned that controlled burns should only be undertaken by experts and with the assistance of a fire department and a burn permit.The burn covered approximately two acres. The forestry course is an elective within the department.
As one of the most important natural agents of change, fire plays a vital role in maintaining certain ecosystems. Controlled burn, also known as prescribed fire, refers to the controlled application of a fire by a team of fire experts under specified weather conditions that help restore health to fire-adapted environments. Prescribed fire reintroduces the beneficial effects of fire into an ecosystem, producing the kinds of vegetation and landscapes we want. By safely reducing excessive amounts of brush, shrubs, and trees, the hazard of catastrophic wildfire caused by excessive fuel buildup is reduced. Prescribed fire also encourages the new growth of native vegetation, and maintains the many plant and animal species whose habitats depend on periodic fire. Some cone bearing trees, such as the sequoia, require fire to stimulate germination as the fire breaks down the seed coating.
For more information about the Wallace State Agriculture Programs, contact Hilliard at 256.352.8035.
For more information about Wallace State, visit wallacestate.edu.
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Russell Moore
Staff Writer
Wallace State Community College
P.O. Box 2000, Hanceville, AL 35077
1-866-350-9722 256-352-8443 direct
256-339-2422 cell
Visit us online at www.wallacestate.edu
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Kristen Holmes
Communications & Marketing Director, and
Administrator, The Evelyn Burrow Museum
Wallace State Community College
801 Main Street NW | Hanceville, AL 35077
E-mail: kristen.holmes@wallacestate.edu
Office: 256.352.8118 | Cell: 256.339.2519 | Toll Free: 866.350.9722