PORTSMOUTH — Depending on weather and wind conditions, the R.I. Department of Environmental Management (DEM) plans on conducting low-severity prescribed burns on state lands on Prudence Island and in Exeter and Coventry later this month ahead of DEM’s Forest Fire Program’s fall prescribed fire season. 

Prescribed, or planned, burning is a versatile tool that natural resources managers use for maintaining habitat diversity and to protect communities from extreme fires by reducing hazardous natural fuels. DEM will advise the public again several days before it has identified a more reliable “burn window” in which to conduct a prescribed fire operation. The agency will further notify Rhode Islanders by timely social media posts and distributing flyers to abutting landowners and neighbors.

A burn window refers to when the environmental variables such as fuel moisture and weather conditions are balanced so that the fire will accomplish its goals, which include reducing fuels (i.e., combustible materials on forest floors and in grasslands), modifying wildlife habitat, and restoring ecological function while remaining under control. 

One of the biggest factors in determining a burn window is forecasting the weather. Whereas a 10-day forecast is accurate about only half the time, a five-day forecast can accurately predict the weather around 90 percent of the time, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Wind is an equally critical factor. DEM’s “go/no-go” decision on which of the burns to conduct will likely come down to wind speed and direction, to allow for the optimal dispersal of smoke. 

“DEM is continuing its use of prescribed fires this season to enhance wildlife habitat and increase public safety,” said DEM Forest Fire Program Manager Pat MacMeekin. “Prescribed burning is especially beneficial to fire adapted ecosystems, which rely on periodic prescribed burning to remain healthy. Without fire, these ecosystems can become overcrowded with invasive, non-fire adapted species which increase the risk of unplanned, extreme wildfires through the buildup of combustible materials on forest floors and grasslands.”

Earlier this year, DEM announced it was planning more prescribed fires in 2023 for the reasons stated above and to reduce the risk of unplanned, high-severity wildfires. The destructive, almost simultaneous wildfires that occurred in West Greenwich and Exeter in April have heightened public awareness of wildfires. 

In 2022, which was marked by a severe drought, the state experienced more than 80 wildfires. These fires are expected to become more frequent as climate change continues to create warmer, drier conditions, leading to longer and more active fire seasons. This year, DEM has hosted two wildland firefighter training classes on suppressing wildfires to build Rhode Island’s capacity to address this increasing wildfire activity. DEM is planning on hosting additional classes later this year. 

Description automatically generatedBy increasing its use of prescribed fire, Rhode Island will be better aligning its land management policies and practices with neighboring states. 

Fewer burns in R.I.

From 2018 to 2022, Massachusetts ignited 223 prescribed fires totaling 7,148 acres and Connecticut had 18 prescribed fires totaling 300 acres, according to DEM. In the same five-year period, Rhode Island conducted three prescribed fires totaling around 75 acres. Among other benefits, common ecological restoration goals with other states help to strengthen climate change resilience across southern New England.

Experts from DEM’s Forest Fire Program, a subsidiary of the Division of Agriculture and Forest Environment, will lead the prescribed burns. They will employ detailed operational and safety plans. Planning is critical for every burn. A prescribed burn plan developed by a qualified burn boss must be in place before a burn is conducted. Firebreaks and other site preparations are made. 

Fire behavior, fuels, and weather are monitored throughout the burn, and if the prescription parameters are exceeded, the fire is shut down. The burn is carried out by a skilled crew under the direction of a qualified burn boss. 

DEM burn managers have obtained the required local permits and an exemption from state air pollution control regulation Part 4: Open Fires (250-RICR-120-05-4). Managers also have communicated with local fire departments, the Narragansett Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the DEM Division of Fish & Wildlife, and the DEM Office of Air Resources.

For more information on DEM programs and initiatives, visit www.dem.ri.gov.