Our Burn Mission
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NICHES Land Trust believes in the power of carefully implemented prescribed fire as part of our integrated management to revive the health of our unique xeric natural areas in West-central Indiana.
Our use of prescribed fire is based on the knowledge we’ve gained from Indigenous burning practices. Indigenous peoples’ use of fire is inseparable from the deep history of our local ecologies going back thousands of years across the western hemisphere. Their communities were, and still are, an ingrained part of natural communities. Over the millenia, Indigenous people had many reasons to use fire on the landscape–improving early season grazing for wild game, promoting the health of plant populations important to daily life, etc.–and the practice had a critical part in shaping the composition of our ecosystems.
The success of prescribed burns is rooted in planning, which is why we believe in building multi-directional, complex connections with the places that we are charged with managing.
NICHES, in association with neighbors and partners, has established over 50 burn units covering nearly 2,000-acres, each of which is burned on average every 4-5 years. We hope that our efforts in conservation, restoration, and management inspire local communities to believe and engage in reciprocal relationships with the Earth.
Our keys to success with fire:
- Safety - No one was injured and the surrounding area was unharmed.
- Fine Fuel Consumption - Consuming fine fuels significantly lowers the risk for reignition and improves conditions for germination and regrowth of fire adapted species.
- Minimize harm - Burning during the dormant season helps to protect sensitive plant and animal species that could be harmed during growing season burns.
- Community - Our burns bring the community together as we improve the land that we cherish so deeply.
A Word of Advice - Bob Easter
The world is crazy lately…at least the humans are. I encourage you to find a way to engage with the greater community, including all living things: the people, the land, the sky, and the plants and animals in between. The best way to live is by listening and engaging in reciprocity with the earth. By helping to heal and fighting for what's right however you can. By remembering who we are and not believing the expectation about who they want us to be.
Do not despair. Repair–yourself, each other, our communities, the earth.
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