coursework and a strenuous
pack test,” she said. According to
nationalgeographic.org, “By ridding a
forest of dead leaves, tree limbs, and
other debris, a prescribed burn can
help prevent a destructive wildfire.”
Most importantly for Marylou,
controlled burns helped preserve the
habitat of rare species. “I felt like I was
finally getting my foot in the door.”
The work was based at the
Altamaha River Wildlife Management
area in Darien, Georgia. “We worked
all along the coast of Georgia, which
includes Sapelo Island and Townsend
Wildlife Management areas. Most of
the corridor of the Altamaha River is
protected. There’s a lot of property
protected in that part of the state,”
said Marylou.
The vast majority of controlled
burns conducted by the Georgia
60 TOOMBS COUNTY MAGAZINE
Department of Natural Resources are
on State Wildlife Management Areas.
The Interagency Burn Team (IBT)
works together to achieve goals, and
includes the Georgia Department
of Natural Resources, The Nature
Conservancy, The Orianne Society,
the Georgia Forestry Commission,
the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and
the U.S. Forest Service. “We have all
these partners that help each other
as needed,” said Marylou. “We really
wouldn't be able to do what we do
without our partners.”
In times past, the land was more
continuous and lightning strikes
would have burned the land naturally
every two to four years. “For a long
time, there was this big push from the
U.S. Forest Service not to burn and
to put out any forest fires. Now, a lot
of places are so suppressed that when
they do catch on fire, it’s very difficult
to put out. “The largest fires in Georgia
are usually in the Okefenokee National
Wildlife Refuge, because it is a large
wild area. These aren’t usually put out
because that’s what it needs for its
habitat to thrive and continue as an
open wetland.”
Native habitats of southeast
Georgia are fire dependent, she
explained, and habitat management
is one of the main goals for controlled
burns. “Habitat today,” said Marylou,
“is often so fire suppressed that
sunlight can’t get to the ground, which
is why diversity on the forest floor
is so low. Without sunlight and with
little structure, you end up with little
food for wildlife. We want to get back
to more of a historical state where
the land was open and diversity could
thrive.”
/nationalgeographic.org