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Fall Prescribed Burning Underway At Soldiers Delight Natural Environment Area
OWINGS MILLS, MD — The regular fall prescribed burn season at Soldiers Delight Natural Environment Area is currently underway and will continue through November 20. Six prescribed burn areas, ranging from one to fifty acres in size and totaling approximately 100 acres have been prepared for controlled burns during this period.
Numerous weather parameters are needed before each burn may proceed. Especially important parameters include wind speed and direction, relative humidity, air temperature, soil moisture, and fuel moisture. Areas which are not burned during this period may be carried over into the winter or spring burn seasons between December through April. The following partners are participating in the prescribed burn: Maryland Natural Heritage Program, Maryland Park Service, Maryland Forest Service, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Americorps, Maryland Conservation Corps, The Nature Conservancy and Baltimore County Fire Department.
Prescribed burning is an essential step in the recovery of 1,000 acres of this native, fire-dependent grassland and oak savanna ecosystem which supports more than 36 rare, threatened or endangered species. Regular prescribed burning also reduces the coverage of hazardous and highly flammable vegetation, especially dense thickets of pine and greenbrier.
November 8, 2007 Contact: Olivia Campbell
410-260-8016 office I 410-507-7525 cell
ocampbell@dnr.state.md.usMaryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is the state agency responsible for providing natural and living resource-related services to citizens and visitors. DNR manages more than 449,000 acres of public lands and 17,000 miles of waterways, along with Maryland's forests, fisheries and wildlife for maximum environmental, economic and quality of life benefits. A national leader in land conservation, DNR-managed parks and natural, historic and cultural resources attract 12 million visitors annually. DNR is the lead agency in Maryland's effort to restore the Chesapeake Bay, the state's number one environmental priority. Learn more at www.dnr.maryland.gov