Welch Lodge Prescribed Burn

Ozark National Scenic Riverways, MO

Prescribed Fire Treatment Started on or about 03/05/2012 (Afternoon)
Status as of 03/06/2012
This project is 100% complete Cause Project
Location (MO)

Acreage Treated
209 acres

Percent Completed 100%

Estimated Completion Date March 5, 2012

Overview
The Welch Lodge Prescribed Burn was conducted on March 5, 2012, at Ozark National Scenic Riverways. This prescribed burn was managed successfully by the Missouri Park Group while simultaneously conducting the George Washington Carver Prescribed Burn at George Washington Carver National Monument. The Welch Lodge Prescribed Burn unit is an expanded project as a result of a newly formed partnership between Ozark National Scenic Riverways and the L-A-D Foundation. The L-A-D Foundation is a Missouri private operating foundation dedicated to sustainable forest management, protection of exemplary natural and cultural areas in Missouri, and providing support and advocacy for projects and policies which have a positive influence in the Missouri Ozark region. The L-A-D Foundation manages more than 140,000 acres of Ozark woodlands, known as Pioneer Forest, through conservative, natural forest management practices. Prescribed fire has only been used once previously on a small portion of Pioneer Forest. The Welch Lodge Prescribed Burn included 37 acres of Pioneer Forest. Managers from both agencies deemed the project a huge success and expect to see many positive outcomes from this prescribed burn as well as from future partnership efforts. For more information on L-A-D Foundation or Pioneer Forest, visit www.pioneerforest.org.

Vegetation Affected Mixed hardwoods/pine

Benefits of the Burn
Resource objectives are to restore fire and associated natural processes in order to increase native herbaceous cover of glades and woodlands, increase native species diversity, and reduce hazardous fuels. In addition, a population of tall larkspur, a nationally-rare fire-dependent wildflower, was recently discovered on the L-A-D Foundation property. This is now the second largest population of tall larkspur under fire management in the world (with the largest population under fire management being in the Pistol Barrel Prescribed Burn Unit at ONSR). Both of these populations are being monitored by the Ozark Highlands Fire Ecology staff at ONSR and the addition of the Welch Lodge tall larkspur population has tripled the number of monitoring plots for which there is pre-burn and post-burn data.

Values to be Protected
Ozark National Scenic Riverways preserves a number of historic structures relevant to Ozark culture. In addition, private dwellings are scattered in and around the park. Welch Spring is located adjacent to the burn unit and is the site of the ruins of Welch Hospital, a facility built in the early 20th century for the treatment of patients with breathing problems.

Partners Involved
Firefighters from Ozark National Scenic Riverways and Black Hills Wildland Fire Module participated in this prescribed burn.

Contact Information
Dena Matteson
573-323-8028
dena_matteson@nps.gov

Firing operation in Pioneer Forest during the Welch Lodge Prescribed Burn VIEW PHOTO GALLERY

Firing operation in Pioneer Forest during the Welch Lodge Prescribed Burn VIEW PHOTO GALLERY