GAUTIER, MS (WLOX) -
This is the time of year you're likely to notice large plumes of smoke in South Mississippi. Winter months are the traditional season for "prescribed burning." And while smoke from prescribed burns can be hazardous to drivers, one goal is to reduce such fire danger.
Smoke from a wildfire in Florida caused a chain reaction crash on I-75 that killed 10 people this weekend. And preventing such wildfires is one of the main goals of "prescribed" or intentional burning.
The U.S. Forest Service, Sandhill Crane Refuge and Gulf Islands National Park all use prescribed burning for land management.
Signs warn about lingering smoke in Gulf Islands National Park, as crews monitor hot spots Monday from a prescribed burn over the weekend. Neighbors were notified about the fire and city fire crews helped monitor the burning.
"In the Southeast, especially on the coastal plain where we live, prescribed burning is really essential for managing natural lands," said Scott Hereford, the senior wildlife biologist for the Mississippi Sandhill Crane Wildlife Refuge.
The refuge relies on such burns. And the benefits are more than land management.
"For human safety, to reduce hazardous fuels. That will reduce the impact of any wildfires. Also to restore the natural, open pine savannahs which are the natural habitat here. And then also to create wildlife habitat for several plants and animals that depend on these pine savannahs, like the Mississippi sandhill crane," said Hereford.
There was supposed to be a prescribed burn there Monday morning.
"We were planning on doing a burn south of the interstate. And looking at the weather forecast, there was not enough wind to push the smoke away from the residents. So, we postponed it," said prescribed fire specialist, Scott Saucier.
Changing winds and weather are among the primary factors in planning a safe burn. Refuge managers are in constant contact with the national weather service for very specific forecasts and wind probabilities.
"We've got 20 foot wind speed and then eye level wind speed. And then our transport wind speed, which is measured throughout the atmosphere," Saucier explained.
Fire managers at the refuge are quite mindful of the safety concerns on nearby I-10. Given the high volume of vehicles and high rate of speed on the interstate, adding smoke to the mix could be a deadly combination.
"Wind. Weather. Resources available. And then wind days after the burn, to make sure the smoke will be staying off the interstate," said Saucier.
Required wind conditions for "prescribed burning" vary from one burn to another. For instance, even though the Sandhill Crane Refuge canceled its burn on Monday, there was a thousand acre burn in Desoto National Forest Monday afternoon.
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