Why It Matters: Prescribed fire is a cost-effective management tool that can be utilized at scale to improve wildlife habitat, increase vegetation diversity, and reduce fuel loads to lessen wildfire severity. Over time, fire suppression and reduced burning in fire-adapted communities on the Daniel Boone National Forest has allowed leaf litter to accumulate on the forest floor limiting oak and yellow pine regeneration and contributing to mesophication of the forest where species composition changes to shade-tolerant species, instead of oaks. Public support for increasing the use of prescribed is important to promoting oak regeneration and restoring forest health.
Highlights:
- On August 15, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) submitted a letter in support of the Cumberland District Prescribed Fire project on the Daniel Boone National Forest in Kentucky.
- The Cumberland District Prescribed Fire project would improve wildlife habitat and timber stand conditions on public lands important to sportsmen and women.
- CSF is a strong proponent of active forest management, including prescribed fire, to improve forest health and wildlife habitat and enhance opportunities for hunters and anglers.
White oak species, which are critical for both wildlife and the wood products and bourbon industries, are in decline across the Eastern United States. Increasing the use of prescribed fire, in conjunction with timber management practices that open the canopy, reduces competition and increases sunlight availability to support oak regeneration. The Cumberland District Prescribed Fire project would authorize the use of prescribed fire on more than 155,000 acres, which would help the U.S. Forest Service move the project area towards its desired future conditions, as set forth in the 2004 Land and Resource Management Plan for the Daniel Boone National Forest.
At the federal level, CSF supports the White Oak Resilience Act (H.R. 2405) and the Fix Our Forests Act (S. 1462 and H.R. 471), which would advance efforts to restore white oak species by supporting research and pilot programs to improve white oak regeneration. The White Oak Resilience Act recently reported out of the House Committee on Natural Resources, and CSF is optimistic that the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry will markup the Fix Our Forests Act this fall.
CSF is excited to see the Cumberland District Prescribed Fire project be implemented over the coming years and is thankful that the U.S. Forest Service is committed to actively managing the Daniel Boone National Forest to benefit wildlife, local economies, and the sporting traditions of Kentuckians.
