A 74-acre control burn is slated to occur next week west of U.S. Route 113 in Frankford, according to the Delaware Forest Service (DFS).

A 74-acre control burn is slated to occur next week west of U.S. Route 113 in Frankford, according to the Delaware Forest Service (DFS).

The official start date is not yet determined, but officials estimate it could begin as early as Monday. The actual date of ignition will depend on local weather and fuel conditions.

The burn will be conducted by the DFS and the property, owned by Delaware Wildlands Inc., will broken into six smaller blocks to allow more effective control of the project.

Unlike a wildfire, a prescribed fire or “controlled burn” is intentionally ignited according to carefully-defined weather conditions identified in a prescribed burn plan. Fuel type, wind speed and direction, and air temperatures are critical elements of the prescribed fire plan.

The plan is designed to maximize safety and control and to effectively disperse smoke away from human populations. Residents may see or smell smoke, but should not be alarmed. Local authorities will be notified prior to burn days and kept informed throughout burning operations.

Prescribed fires are a useful land management tool that can be effective for habitat restoration, site preparation for reforestation, removal of accumulated fuels that could cause future wildfires, and invasive species management without the use of herbicides.

In the past year, the Delaware Forest Service completed nine prescribed fires on a total of 184 acres, including a 90-acre controlled burn on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife’s Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge. In 2013, Delaware Forest Service staff worked with officials from the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s (DNREC) Environmental Stewardship Program to conduct a 16-acre prescribed burn at Brandywine Creek State Park. The previous year, the DFS worked with Delaware State Parks officials to conduct a controlled burn at Cape Henlopen State Park .

For more information contact, Erich Burkentine, DFS southern regional forester and regional fire management officer, at erich.burkentine@state.de.us or John Peterson, DFS community relations officer, at john.petersen@state.de.us.