West Plains, MO. – When used in controlled, supervised conditions, fire can be a beneficial land management tool. However, it’s important to stress that prescribed fire involves planning and on-site management.
People wanting to learn how to use fire as a land management tool should sign up for the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) prescribed fire workshop on Dec. 9. This hands-on demonstration burn will be from 9 a.m.-noon at MDC’s Dean Davis Conservation Area in Howell County. It’s important to note that at the Dec. 9 program, participants will take part in an actual prescribed fire. In order to take part in this portion of the program, participants must first complete the online portion of this class.
People can register for the Dec. 9 workshop at:
https://mdc-event-web.s3licensing.com/Event/EventDetails/196259
People will get a link to the online portion of the workshop when they register. The online portion will take from 2-4 hours to complete. Upon completing the online portion, participants will receive a certificate which they must bring to the Dec. 9 program. The online course requires a $25 fee which is paid to a third-party host.
For the Dec. 9 part of this workshop, participants will gather at the parking lot on the Dean Davis Conservation Area. This parking lot is located on Howell County Road 2420 approximately a half-mile east of Highway 63 and 10 miles north of West Plains. Private Land Conservationist Mark McLain will discuss how to execute a prescribed burn for grassland management and, weather permitting, program participants will get hands-on experience by conducting a demonstration burn. Topics covered will include equipment, burn line installation, safe weather parameters, ignition operations and other aspects needed to conduct a safe and successful prescribed burn. Appropriate dress for the burn will be leather boots, leather gloves, cotton pants, cotton long-sleeve shirt, and safety glasses.
To get more information about this event, contact McLain at Mark.McLain@mdc.mo.gov.
