MARDELA SPRINGS, MD - Scientists intentionally set fire to a portion of the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge on Tuesday as part of a management strategy aimed at enhancing wildlife habitat.
Smoke filled the air over the refuge throughout the day, a deliberate consequence of the controlled burn.
The burn took place at the Owen's Creek Unit, a property managed by the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, located near Mardela Springs. While smoke covered the area by late morning, aerial footage showed that the smoke began to dissipate by mid-afternoon.
According to Matt Whitbeck, a wildlife biologist with the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, controlled burns are conducted around the refuge every spring, fall, and winter to aid in the regeneration of the forest.
"When it burns off all that woody debris and pine needles on the forest floor, it allows certain plants to germinate. So you'll get a lot of wildflowers, you'll get grasses, and what that does is it provides more habitat structure," explained Whitbeck.
The area subjected to the controlled burn is one of the refuge's newer properties, characterized by a dense, young forest. Whitbeck explained, "Right now what we have is a very dense, young forest. The trees are closely spaced, they're fairly small, and what this is gonna do is this is gonna remove some of those trees, it's gonna open up the canopy, it's gonna give the remaining trees the space to grow."
Professionals ignited the dry materials on the forest floor with a simple drop of a match.
"We look at fuel moisture, how likely and how aggressively the fuels will burn once they are ignited, so it's all very carefully planned," said Whitbeck.
Personnel closely monitored the burn throughout its duration to ensure it remained under control.
The Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge indicated that this part of the property is scheduled to undergo controlled burns every 3 to 10 years as part of its management plan.