Fight Fire With Fire
by Luke Carr

The high winds and lack of rain starting in the fall and carrying into winter last year aided in the loss of Oklahoma homes, livestock and even residents. The state was declared a national disaster area by President George W. Bush. As of April 7, more than 560,000 acres, 1,000 homes and three deaths had been reported, according to newspaper reports.

Rusty Martin, former Oklahoma State University football player from Checotah, Okla., lost several cows but said it could have been worse.

"I lost 16 cows and 11 calves," Martin said. "My fences were too good, I guess, because they got pushed down into a corner and couldn't get out. I burned the break lines and the paint on my truck trying to get to them."

Martin said he had his livestock insured but the insurance did not cover fire loss. It only covers cattle if they get out and are hit by a vehicle.

"I asked the driver of the fire truck if he ran over 16 of my cows," he said with a laugh. "I have to joke about it or else I'll cry."

Martin said the fire was southwest of his land and headed right at his house, but luckily the wind changed the direction of the fire.

"If the fire wouldn't have changed direction, I would have lost everything," he said. "My horses, barn, house, I wouldn't have anything left. I think the good Lord was watching out for me that day."

 

Fire not new to Oklahoma

Controlled burning has been around for more than 10,000 years. The American Indians adopted it as a management process. Native plants and animals are adapted to fire and require it to remain healthy. Fire scars on trees show fire occurred every three to five years in all seasons. This kept the prairies clear of trees and the forests open and healthy for all wildlife habitats.

In the 1830s, a cultural change occurred with the removal of the American Indians by the Europeans, who had no controlled fire in their culture for land management. Fire suppression led to the increase of cedar trees, danger to firefighters and the public from wildfires, and allergies for humans. Fire suppression also decreased wildlife species, forage production and accessibility for cattle, and water quality and quantity. A large concern for rangeland ecologist Terry Bidwell is the Eastern red cedar.

"The Eastern red cedar has taken over millions of acres since the Europeans introduced fire suppression," said Bidwell, OSU extension specialist and professor of rangeland and ecology management.

Prior to statehood, Eastern red cedars were confined to rock outcrops and areas fire could not reach. Fire suppression, farming and overgrazing have allowed the cedars to spread to areas where they were historically not present, Bidwell said.

By 1950, the cedars had taken over 1.5 million acres, and by 1985, they covered 3.5 million acres. The trend continued, and by 1995, the cedars had taken over more than 6 million acres, approximately 15 percent of Oklahoma's total land area. Ten million acres now have been over taken by the Eastern red cedars.

The Eastern red cedar is taking over 782 acres per day and 300,000 acres per year. They can grow one foot in diameter and one foot in height in one year. As they grow up and out, they force out other plants and trees native to Oklahoma. One acre of Eastern red cedars can absorb 55,000 gallons of water per year, which is 10 to 30 gallons per day. They leave all of the important vegetation around them dead and dry, a perfect situation for a wildfire, Bidwell said.

In the 2005-06 fall and winter, there was an insufficient amount of precipitation for a substantial amount of time. When the other vegetation went dormant for the winter, the Eastern red cedar did not. Even though the cedar is green, it is a volatile, dangerous fuel to firefighters and public safety, Bidwell said.

 

Remove Eastern red cedars to reduce wildfire intensity

Landowners can keep these plants from taking over prairies and forests. As with anything else, these control methods come with a cost, but the cost of doing nothing is the most expensive, Bidwell said.

In 2001, the economic loss due to catastrophic wildfires that caused the loss of cattle production, wildlife habitat, recreational leasing and water yield was $218 million. If no action is taken, the loss in 2013 is projected to be $447 million, Bidwell said.

One type of mechanical control is bull-dozing. Dozing costs $90 to $100 per acre. This is the most expensive mechanical control and is not practical, Bidwell said.

Another type of mechanical control is a skid-steer loader with a hydraulic tree shear, $50 per acre, or a hydraulic tree saw, $40 per acre. Two bulldozers with a steel cylinder and 200 feet of anchor chain would cost $25 per acre.

The cheapest mechanical control is using hand tools such as a chain saw, ax or tree pruners, $11 per acre.

All of these methods should be followed by fire to remove the debris, and none of them are cost effective, but they will work if cost is not a concern, Bidwell said.

"I know farmers and ranchers who just carry a pair of loppers in their truck, and when they are driving through their pasture, if they see a small tree sprouting up, they jump out and cut it off," Bidwell said. "The most effective and cheapest way to keep these cedars out of pastures and forests is prescribed burning."

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has programs to help farmers and ranchers reclaim their pastures.

An example of these programs is the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, a cost-share program in which the USDA will help pay for the services rendered to reclaim the burned land.

Bidwell teaches national fire courses, as well as two in Oklahoma. These courses are to teach people about the importance of burning to keep wildlife species and beneficial forage from decreasing.

"People from all over come to these classes," Bidwell said. "The more people we reach the better."

Cattle owners benefit from higher fire frequency. The sprouting of woody plants decreases each time a pasture is burned, which creates more space for beneficial vegetation for cattle consumption. Gain increases on stocker cattle 10 to 15 percent and body condition score by one on cows, thus making the producer more money, Bidwell said.

Numerous factors contribute to uncontrollable wildfires. With the help of government programs and educational courses, like the ones that Bidwell teaches, the odds of having wildfires can be reduced.

Bidwell said the best way to reduce or eliminate damages from wildfire is to reduce wildland fuels by prescribed burning.

There always will be costs, but when the cost of either mechanical control, herbicide control or the way the yard is landscaped is weighed against the cost of the home and belongings that were lost, not to mention the memories, being fire wise seems cheaper.

For more information about prescribed burning and wildfire safety, visit www.firewise.org or e-mail Terry Bidwell at terry.bidwell@okstate.edu.