Fire was once a tool commonly used for land management. Native Americans and early settlers used fire to improve forage conditions, visibility, and access. Fire has shaped forests and their productivity for years and certain landcover types are dependent on fire and its effects. 

The use of prescribed fire is widely used by land managers to enhance the landscape for wildlife habitat and timber production. 

Prescribed fire for the purposes of forest litter control can help to suppress the intensity of wildfires. Suppressing leaf litter can also aid cleaning up the forest floor for smaller wildlife species such as birds, rabbits, and squirrels. 

Prescribed burning helps to manage forest stands and open landscapes through competition control. It does so by managing undesirable vegetation to increase resources available such as nutrients and growing space needed for desirable plant growth. 

Prescribed fire is extremely important for wildlife habitat improvement. Fire can be used to reset plant growth to promote early successional habitat and increase plant diversity to provide forage and cover for wildlife species when they need it most. Prescribed burning is often used to promote habitat for whitetail deer, wild turkey, and bobwhite populations. 

Prescribed burning is one of the best tools used to manage for wildlife and the resources in which they need to succeed. 

To learn more about how prescribed fire can be used on your property, visit our website at

mdwfp.com/privatelands