SIUC students specialize in prescribed woodland burnings

A group of SIUC students are setting fires across the country, and it's all part of the job as Fire Dawgs.

The Fire Dawgs, the Department of Forestry's wild land fire crew, was created in 2000 to get students involved in learning how to handle fire and set prescribed fires, said Chares Ruffner, an associate professor of forestry at SIU.

According to the North Carolina Forestry Association, a prescribed fire is the practice of using regulated fires to reduce or eliminate material on the forest floor for seedbed preparation or to control vegetation.

In order for students to become a Fire Dawgs member, they must take courses that teach fire behavior, fire safety and how to follow a command system. Students must also pass a pack test, which consists of carrying a 45-pound backpack across a three-mile track in less than 45 minutes.

After meeting the requirements, students are given a red card that is recognized around the country. Students can then be deployed around the country to work with fire.

Brian Murphy, 22, a junior from Joliet studying forestry, is one of the students working outside the state. He is stationed at Red River, Idaho, where he took part in three prescribed fires that covered more than 2,000 acres.

He said the experience has been a wonderful escape from Illinois.

"I think working outside of Illinois is one of my favorite things," Murphy said.

The Fire Dawgs work in areas ranging from Illinois to Alaska. About 40 students are trained each year to be Fire Dawgs, Ruffner said.

The Fire Dawgs are planning to set a few prescribed fires in Thompson Woods in the fall semester. They have held prescribed burnings in Thompson Woods in 2001, 2002 and 2003, Ruffner said.

Prescribed burnings simulates one of the most common natural disturbances.

In southern Illinois, the lack of fire has led to a decreased oak tree population that has affected many different animal species, according to a study published by Ruffner and John Groninger, an associate professor of forestry.

"We wanted to know how to get fire back on the ground," Ruffner said. "We know now that it's a normal part of the ecosystem."