TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- Prescribed burns will be conducted on approximately 80 acres of land on Tinker this month. The burns will happen in the Glenwood area north of the main runway, north of Interstate-40, base golf course, Urban Greenway, south of the base chapel, north of base housing and the south end of airfield.
Prescribed burns are intentionally set fires used to manage vegetation in natural areas. Prescribed burning has been done on Tinker in 2000, 2003 and 2010, but is expected to be done annually in the future.
Burning is done to enhance prairie/woodland health, improve wildlife habitat, reduce fuel load buildup, decrease invasive species and provide other benefits. Historically, prairies throughout the Midwest burned routinely through natural events such as lightning strikes and through ignition by Native Americans. If prairies are not burned, they will decline in vigor and, in time, transition into woodlands. If woodlands are not burned periodically, significant vegetative fuel loads can build up, which in drought years, can lead to catastrophic wildfires. Our management objectives include maintaining a mosaic of prairie, savannah and woodlands in our natural spaces such as the Urban Greenway.
The burns will be conducted by a team led by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service who has been contracted by the Air Force Wildland Fire Center. Tinker Civil Engineering fire department and natural resources staff will also participate in the burning. All on-the-ground participants must be federally trained and qualified through the National Wildfire Coordinating Group.
Burning is done under a prescribed burn plan. This means a specific prescription for wind speed, wind direction, humidity, temperature and other parameters is set in advance. Then, we monitor weather conditions until our prescription is met. We will burn only within the prescription. This keeps the burning low risk and ensures we meet our objectives. The burn plan also requires coordination with off-base entities such as the National Weather Service, Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality, Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, and local police, sheriff and fire departments.