U.S. Army Garrison-Hawaii is taking a very proactive approach to mitigating wildfire risk through a multi-pronged management strategy that includes prescribed burning.
From the Source:
Army officials are taking proactive steps to prevent fires on the Schofield Barracks training range during the hotter, drier months ahead.
U.S. Army Garrison-Hawaii (USAG-HI) Range Development and Management Committee and the 84th Engineer Battalion, 8th Military Police Brigade, have spent the last three months removing brush and trees around existing range firebreaks and improving roads throughout the range complex to provide better access for firefighters and emergency personnel.
The work is being done ahead of the Army’s annual prescribed burn of the Schofield Barracks training range complex next week.
The burn, which is scheduled for May 26 through May 31, is designed to reduce overall fire danger in the area by removing highly flammable guinea grass and other vegetation.
If left unchecked, these grasses become large fuel sources for wildfires that can be difficult to contain and threaten area resources, officials said...
Freeman estimates that effective prescribed burns can reduce wildfire outbreaks by as much as 75 percent, making them an important tool to wildfire prevention."
Credit - U.S. Army Garrison-Hawaii