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The South is the birthplace of statutes and ordinances that both advocate and protect the cultural heritage of woods burning, which has been practiced in this region uninterrupted for more than 10,000 years. We present a brief overview of fire use in the South and discuss why most southern states recognized early on that periodic fire was necessary to sustain fire adapted ecosystems and passed laws to protect and facilitate the practice of controlled burning. We also provide examples of legislation promoting this ecological imperative and share ideas we have found helpful in getting the 'right' people involved to assure passage of such legislation. Finally, we discuss constraints to prescription fire that need to be mitigated, as well as items to consider including in pro-fire legislation.
Cataloging Information
- fire policy
- fire-adapted ecosystems
- prescribed burning policies