by Lydia Holley May 5, 2025, 2025
Henderson County Master Gardener Association (HCMGA) will host Jason S. Ellis, CF, AF, CA, District Forester IV, Texas A&M Forest Service, Jacksonville/Palestine Districts on Wednesday, May 14, 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m. at the Cain Center YMCA, 214 Loyola Dr., Athens, TX, 2nd Floor, Civic Hall Meeting Room. Ellis will present “Prescribed Burns—Managed by our Local Forest Service.” This is part of HCMGA’s “Let’s Grow” series. The presentation is free and open to the public.
Fire has been used to manipulate landscapes for thousands of years. When I was researching certain grasslands years ago, I read that Native Americans burned large areas to keep trees from growing and to maintain the prairies for grazing.
The National Park Service says prescribed burns were used by Native Americans from coast to coast, in Alaska, and Hawaii. They reportedly used fire to increase the number of blueberries in the Great Lakes region, to keep enemies from being hidden in South Dakota, to control large fires in the Northern Rockies and in California. In an unusual twist, fires were used in the northern Great Plains to “herd grasshoppers.” Fire was also used to move wildlife for hunting in Alaska, and to clear land for crops in Hawaii.
According to the National Park Service, prescribed fires are still used in the tallgrass prairies of the midwest, in the grasslands around New York, and in the savanna at Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield in Missouri as a “cost-effective way to maintain certain historic scenes.” Prescribed burns are also used to keep an extreme unintentional fire from happening.
Come learn how our Forest Service uses prescribed burns nowadays in our wilderness areas. And since Ellis knows all about trees, if you have a question about the trees in your landscape, he will be happy to identify, explain, or promote the best practices for keeping the trees around your home beautiful and healthy.
For more information, call 903-675-6130, email [email protected], or visit txmg.org/hendersonmg.