MDC Ozark Regional Office to host June 14 prescribed fire workshop

WEST PLAINS, Mo. - When used in controlled, planned 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 South Central Missouri Prescribed Burn Association (PBA) prescribed fire workshop on June 14. This event will be from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) Ozark Regional Office in West Plains (551 Joe Jones Blvd.). People can register for this event by emailing PBA secretary Carole Moody at scmpba@gmail.com. The June 14 event is a cooperative effort of the South Central PBA and MDC.

Prescribed fire has a number of benefits for a landowner. It can help restore native plant communities, enhance wildlife habitat, thin the understory of a wooded area, and can lessen the risk of wildfire by reducing fuel (old limbs, dead leaves, etc.) on the ground. The mission of the South Central PBA (which is one of several PBAs in the state under the umbrella governance of the Missouri Prescribed Fire Council) is to promote and protect the responsible use of prescribed fire as a natural resource management tool in Missouri.

The June 14 workshop, which is free, will start with a morning session inside MDC's Ozark Regional Office. Speakers will describe resources available to help landowners accomplish their land-management goals and will also have information about cost-share programs that are available. In the afternoon, MDC staff will demonstrate tools used on prescribed burns such as drip torches, blowers, and sprayer tanks. The day will close with a visit to a nearby site that is being managed with fire. Lunch will be provided by MDC staff.

In addition to the email address given above, people can also contact Carole Moody at 870-404-2692 or Denise Vaughn at 417-247-7874 or at denisevaughn@littlepinecreek.net.