Controlled Burn at George Washington Carver National Monument, MO

A prescribed / controlled burn was done on Friday at George Washington Carver National Monument. Billy Wade / KNN

Diamond, MO: A large prescribed / controlled burn took place on Friday, Mar. 4, at George Washington Carver National Monument in Diamond, MO.

The burn started around 9-10:00 a.m. with crews working in sections. The process takes many hours.

The controlled burn started in the morning and lasted for hours. Billy Wade / KNN

Fires have played an important role in shaping the landscape of the George Washington Carver National Monument, according to information released regarding controlled burns of the landscape at the location.

Specially trained National Park Services personnel managed the burn. Billy Wade / KNN

“National Park Services uses prescribed fire as one tool to restore and maintain natural communities and cultural resources,” according to George Washington Carver National Monument. “It also provides important benefits to native fire-tolerant plants by stimulating native plant production, controlling woody plant invasion, suppressing non-native species, and inhibiting disease and insect infestations,” according to the Monument.

Prescribed burns provide important benefits to native fire-tolerant plants. Billy Wade / KNN

The prescribed fire program is conducted under the guidance and direction of trained and experienced National Park Service fire personnel. Burns are carefully planned and performed under the control of a trained crew with specialized equipment, according to GWCNM. Only about half of the park’s burn units are burned in a given year. The GWCNM stated that in order to measure the effects of prescribed fire over time, vegetation monitoring is conducted by fire ecology staff before and after each burn.