The Delaware Department of Transportation plans to conduct a “prescribed fire” in the near future at the 43-acre Dove’s Nest meadow habitat located near the Spring Mill community on Route 71 (Summit Bridge Road), just north of Middletown, adjacent to US 301.
[Above photo by the Delaware Forest Service]
The agency said in a statement that a prescribed fire is the intentional application of a fire to a specific area, under specific environmental conditions and parameters, to accomplish planned land management objectives and meet ecological goals.
Delaware DOT said several benefits of prescribed fire are minimizing the spread of pest insects and disease, removing invasive plant species, and improving the habitat for threatened and endangered species. It also recycles nutrients back into the soil, and it promotes the growth of native grasses, wildflowers, and other plants, the agency noted.
Burns such as the one at Dove’s Nest – which will be overseen by the Delaware Forest Service – are performed before the nesting season and growing season. The burn area will be divided into strips or plots, leaving undisturbed escape routes for wildlife. Also, firebreaks are installed around the burn area to maintain control of the burn, Delaware DOT noted.
The agency stressed that such burns are only performed if weather conditions are ideal. For example, wind direction and speed, relative humidity levels, and vegetation conditions must be ideal, or the burn will not happen, the agency noted.
Additionally, mitigation procedures will be implemented to reduce the amount of smoke generated, Delaware DOT said – such as only burning in specific atmospheric conditions to allow for smoke to rise quickly and/or by using a “patch burning” technique which creates pulses of smoke rather than a continuous sheet of smoke.
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