Game Commission Plans Prescribed Burns In 18 State Game Lands

Up to 3,300 acres of Pennsylvania’s state game lands could be treated with prescribed fire this fall, but hunters shouldn’t worry about the cost-effective method of managing wildlife habitat hurting their chances of success.

These blackened areas often immediately attract game.

“We often see deer and turkeys coming in to fresh burns, even before the smoke clears,” said John Wakefield, a burn boss and fire logistics chief with the Game Commission. “I think it’s partly because the fire removes leaves and brush, making it easier to feed on acorns and insects.”

While most prescribed burning is done in the spring and late summer, there is a short window of opportunity to burn just after leaf drop. If conditions are perfect, as many as 3,300 acres may be burned this fall. This represents only 0.2 percent of total game-lands acreage.

While access to the burn unit itself is closed on the day of the burn, it usually reopens the next day.

No burning will occur during the week of the October muzzleloader and special firearms deer seasons for mentored youth and junior and senior hunters.

And no burning will take place after November 20. The statewide firearms bear season begins November 21.

“The fall window lets us improve more habitat as cooler conditions allow safe burning in areas that aren’t feasible during the warm, windy and sometimes dry spring months,” added Wakefield.

Prescribed burns are conducted according to state law by highly trained crews with hundreds of hours of experience. Long before burn day, crews plan operations and prep fire lines to ensure safety, both for themselves and the public.

The Game Commission has increased habitat improvement with prescribed fire from a few hundred acres in 2009 to over 5,000 acres in 2014.

According to Ben Jones, who heads the agency’s habitat division, prescribed burns improve habitat by promoting acorns, berries, browse, and beneficial plants for wildlife.

Click Here for a list of state game lands to be affected.  Specific burn unit locations can be viewed on the Fall Prescribed Fire Map on the Game Commission’s website.