On February 2, 2017, TLC preformed a prescribed burn at Temple Flat Rock Preserve. Much of the North Carolina landscape and natural habitats that we know and love are historically dependent up on natural fire regimes, but over time, these natural regimes have been suppressed to minimize damage to life and property. Prescribed burning is an attempt to introduce fire back into natural ecosystems in a controlled manner that provides the benefits of natural fire regimes without the risks and damage caused by wildfires. Even in cases where native habitat restoration is not a primary goal, prescribed burning can provide a cost effective tool for maintaining open fields and pastures. Burns are effective land management tool for restoring early successional ecosystems, improving wildlife habitat, hardwood forest restoration, and mitigating fire hazard by reducing the fuel load. Burning also suppresses populations of pest species such as ticks and chiggers!
