‘Prescribed fire’ coming back to Shelter Island’s Mashomack: Information offered to the public
The staff at Mashomack Preserve is inviting the public to attend two information sessions about so-called “prescribed fire,” on Saturday, Sept. 21 from 10 to 11 a.m. and Tuesday, Oct. 1 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
A formal presentation will kick off each session, at the Visitor Center-Education Building in the Preserve at 79 South Ferry Road, followed by a question and answer period.
Prescribed fire, sometimes called controlled burning, is a land management tool in which fire is intentionally applied to vegetation. Well in advance of implementing a prescribed fire, land managers compose a detailed prescribed burn plan that clearly defines suitable weather and fuel conditions, safety measures, desired fire behavior, and the fire effects needed to meet predetermined objectives.
The Nature Conservancy, which oversees Mashomack, is planning to conduct multiple prescribed burns in the fall of this year (October- November) and in the spring of 2025 (February- April).
Historically, fire played an important role in shaping the forest at the preserve, according to Mashomack staff. Evidence of historical fire occurrence was found by Marc Abrams, Ph.D., professor of forest ecology and physiology at Penn State University, during his forest health study conducted at Mashomack in the early 2000s.
Mr. Abrams noted that the exclusion of fire was one of the contributing factors impacting Mashomack’s forest health and lack of oak regeneration.
Oak forests evolved in the presence of recurring low-intensity fires. The proper implementation of prescribed fire is not only greatly beneficial for the health of oak forests — suppressing invasive species, prompting biodiversity, and promoting oak regeneration — it also has important benefits for people, reducing tick habitat and abundance, as well as abating wildfire risk by reducing forest fuel buildup.
If you are unable to attend one of these information sessions but have questions, please contact Mashomack Conservation and Stewardship Manager Cody-Marie Miller at 631-749-1001 or at [email protected].
