EAST ALTON – October through mid-April marks the prescribed burn season for the Habitat Strike Team, part of the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC sm ). Prescribed burns are controlled applications of fire to the landscape by a team of experts under specific weather conditions and is characterized as a low-intensity fire, as opposed to high-intensity wildfires that are unintendedly set. “From a management perspective, fire is one of the most efficient and effective options to help restore habitat on the landscape,” Conservation Program Manager, Justin Shew said. “The fire is doing the work, instead of a chemical or chainsaw controlled by a human; therefore, it covers a lot more ground in the right conditions.” The Habitat Strike Team works within a 90-mile radius of NGRREC’s Field Station, and depending on seasonal conditions, may conduct or assists on at least 25 burns in a season, covering over 6,200 acres. “The
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