Droning on and on: Success with prescribed fire

Prescribed fire continues to be a critical management tool for restoring and maintaining fire-adapted forested ecosystems. However, widespread, frequent use of prescribed fire can be a challenge due to climate change, increased wildland-urban interfaces, and public health and safety concerns.

A long-term forest restoration study on the William B. Bankhead National Forest in Alabama continues to add innovative knowledge about the use of prescribed fire. In February 2022, researchers trained and tested aerial ignition using a hexacopter drone and the IGNIS platform.

The study provided needed data on fuel loading and vegetation structure to determine eligibility for drone ignition. The drone programming established protective geofences and delineated ignition boundaries, and mission planning including ignition sphere spacing were adjusted during the burn.

The drone approach moderates several prescribed fire challenges: concern over escaped fire, due to the relocation of personnel interior ignition duties to other duties, positioning them best to respond. Other hazards, such as general crew fatigue, were also mitigated, allowing for a safer prescribed fire.

Fire behavior and fuel consumption were comparable to other burns conducted during the week by ground-level drip torch ignition, and our long-term monitoring of the vegetation response will continue. These prescribed fires reduce forest fuels, remove midstory trees, and create more open, healthy forest conditions.