Prescribed Fire

At Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore prescribed fires are used to manage vegetation. Prescribed fires reduce hazardous fuel accumulations near developed areas. They assist in the management of landscapes, restore natural woodlands and are completed for research purposes. These carefully planned and closely monitored fires remove accumulated dead plant material, significantly reducing the threat of unplanned wildland fires in and around the national lakeshore and the local communities. Prescribed fires also promote the growth of healthy native plants that support a variety of birds and animals found in the park, including the endangered Karner Blue Butterfly.

The Lakeshore has been utilizing prescribed fire since 1986. Before any fire is ignited, the park must complete a burn plan for each unit and have a Fire Management Plan in place. Each planned ignition must meet a set of conditions before personnel are able to begin.

 

Lupine is a fire dependent plant species that grows in the park.

Ecology

Fire ecology is a branch of ecology that focuses on the origins of wildland fire and its relationship to the environment that surrounds it, both living and non-living. Scientific research at the Lakeshore helps improve fire and land management practices.

Fire Effects Monitoring Program

The fire effects monitoring program is an iniative of the National Park Service established to monitor the effects that prescribed fire has on the environment. This program evaluates the degree to which fire and resource objectives are being met.

Click here for more information in Fire Ecology, Fire Effects Monitoring and Fire Research.

 

For a copy of the Fire Effects Monitoring Plan, please contact the Fire Prevention and Education Specialist at 219-395-8150 or email us.