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Introduction

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Fire is a natural part of the landscape in North America’s South Central Plains (SCP). It limits the number of large woody plants, stimulates the growth of native grasses, and preserves habitats. Historically, the SCP experienced regular fires through lightning-ignited burns and Indigenous fire practices used to improve conditions for foraging and hunting, as well as other cultural purposes (). However, in the past hundred years, fire suppression has altered the SCP landscape, allowing woody plants to replace native grassland vegetation (). These woody plants provide fuels that burn at higher temperatures, leading to fires that cause greater damage ().

are a management technique used to reintroduce ecologically-appropriate fire to the SCP landscape and reduce the threat of high-severity wildfires (). However, regulations designed to ensure safe burns vary widely across the SCP, with inconsistencies in the weather and moisture requirements land managers must follow to conduct burns. As a result, prescribed fires are heavily restricted in some areas. Additionally, climate projections show that the region is expected to experience higher temperatures and more frequent periods of drought, further decreasing the annual number of days that meet regulatory requirements for prescribed burn prescribed burn
A prescribed burn is the controlled use of fire to restore wildlife habitat, reduce wildfire risk, or achieve other habitat management goals. We have been using prescribed burn techniques to improve species habitat since the 1930s.

Learn more about prescribed burn conditions ().

Collaboration between fire practitioners and researchers is necessary to effectively address barriers and enhance techniques for prescribed burns across the region. In 2016, researchers from across the SCP hosted a Prescribed Fire Summit, bringing together landowners, managers, and fire safety officials from multiple states to share expertise and identify questions for future research. The Prescribed Fire Summit expanded opportunities to share updated burn techniques and research findings, and it helped fire practitioners adapt burn practices to preserve SCP habitats and reduce the risk of severe wildfires in a changing climate.

Key Issues Addressed 

Centuries of fire suppression have altered the landscape of the SCP, allowing woody plants such as ashe juniper (Juniperus ashei) and eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana) to overtake native, fire-adapted species (). These woody plants consume large amounts of water and contribute to the build-up of fuel loads. This alters the region’s natural fire pattern, known as its  (). Increased temperatures and higher precipitation variability across the region cause additional changes to the SCP landscape, creating an even greater need for fuel reduction treatments to limit high-intensity fires and improve water availability for native grassland species. 

Prescribed fire has become a more widely used landscape management practice, leading fire practitioners to form  (PBAs) to help landowners and citizens safely conduct burns (). However, since the SCP region encompasses several states with different rules and regulations for fire, collaboration between PBAs is limited, reducing opportunities to conduct safe burns. Furthermore, there is often a communication gap between prescribed fire research and on-the-ground practices. Land managers and safety officials often have limited access to the most up-to-date research on prescribed fires, and researchers need more insight into the specific problems these professionals face to help develop science-backed techniques and resources. 

Land managers and prescribed fire practitioners often work in relative isolation, focusing on specific problems in their communities and management areas. However, they face many common challenges, including limited acceptance of the ecological importance of fire and its ability to protect property and public safety (). Without ongoing cooperation, it is difficult to make lasting improvements, such as shaping state fire laws or addressing public misconceptions about prescribed fire. PBAs and other fire professionals need a space to engage in long-term collaboration to overcome common barriers and technical challenges. 

Project Goals

• Analyze possible future climate conditions and existing prescribed fire guidelines to identify seasonal burn suitability across the region.
• Host a Prescribed Fire Summit to facilitate interstate collaboration and address specific management challenges, funding opportunities, and burn practices.
• Strengthen long-term partnerships to overcome barriers, share knowledge, and increase prescribed fire support across stakeholder groups.

Project Highlights 

• Climate Projections Inform Prescribed Burn Guidelines: Researchers from the Oklahoma Climatological Survey, Oklahoma State University, and Texas A&M University recognized that fire professionals need updated findings on the SCP’s changing fire patterns. They obtained funding through a , eventually leading to the first Fire Summit in 2016. At the time, the region faced a period of severe drought and experienced several high-intensity wildfires. Scientists and land managers questioned how climate change climate change
  Climate change includes both global warming driven by human-induced emissions of greenhouse gases and the resulting large-scale shifts in weather patterns. Though there have been previous periods of climatic change, since the mid-20th century humans have had an unprecedented impact on Earth's climate system and caused change on a global scale.
  
  Learn more about climate change affected the region’s fire patterns. Research from the University of Oklahoma analyzed future climate projections to understand possible changes to the fire patterns in the SCP. By averaging the region’s differing PBA burn day weather requirements including temperature, humidity, and wind speed, they created a single set of guidelines that increases the number of suitable burn days across much of the SCP ().
• Prescribed Fire Workshop Creates Opportunities for Knowledge Sharing: The first , held in Manhattan, Kansas in 2016, brought more than 100 people together to discuss prescribed burn practices, concerns, and research. Private landowners and agency professionals traveled from Texas, Oklahoma, and Nebraska. Each PBA presented a fire report from their respective oversight area. Attendees shared strategies for tracking and reporting successful burns, grants that helped them obtain safety equipment, and collaborations with landowners and policymakers. Additional sessions covered topics such as how burn conditions affect the management of invasive species invasive species
  An invasive species is any plant or animal that has spread or been introduced into a new area where they are, or could, cause harm to the environment, economy, or human, animal, or plant health. Their unwelcome presence can destroy ecosystems and cost millions of dollars.
  
  Learn more about invasive species and woody plants, smoke and public health, and fire liability concerns under varying state policies.
• Successful Outcomes Establish the Need for Ongoing Summits: After the 2016 conference, the Prescribed Fire Summit became a recurring event. New activities, including field tours, practice burns, and equipment demonstrations, are added at each conference, allowing fire professionals to share hands-on experiences. Attendees discuss research that may not be widely available in professional publications, expanding knowledge for successful burn techniques. For example, summer burns used to be restricted in many states. As research provides new insights into optimal conditions, up to 25% of burns now take place in the summer months. Rewarding collaborations led the Prescribed Fire Summit to grow beyond its original intent. 

Lessons Learned

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Prescribed Fire Summit organizers manage conference costs, content, and location to ensure the events are accessible to a range of professionals. Summits are hosted bi-annually to save time and resources for organizers and participants alike. Private landowners are offered a reduced registration fee because they often cover these costs out of pocket, while agency workers have these costs covered by their employers. Survey feedback from past summits helps organizers identify the most relevant topics to cover during future conference sessions, ensuring participantsâ€� time is well spent. The host location changes for each summit, expanding attendance opportunities for participants across the SCP region. 

Prescribed Fire Summits provide a collaborative space for fire professionals to discuss the local and large-scale barriers to prescribed burns. Each PBA faces unique challenges when implementing prescribed burns, but many issues are similar across state lines and organization types. Additionally, when broad barriers such as policy and fire laws are addressed in one state, this can inspire similar outcomes in other locations. When stories of successes and failures are openly shared, Summit attendees gain news insights for solving problems at all levels.

Prescribed Fire Summits work to improve lines of communication between stakeholder groups, expanding opportunities to increase acceptance of prescribed burns. While the ecological importance of fire is accepted among prescribed burn practitioners and researchers, there is still a public misconception that fire has negative impacts on wildlife and soil erosion. By identifying these concerns, researchers and PBA advocates can address specific public worries. Prescribed Fire Summit attendees also share how they build partnerships with community leaders such as county commissioners, emergency managers, and volunteer fire departments. These efforts improve overall support for prescribed burns.

Next Steps

• Host the next Prescribed Fire Summit in South Dakota to include more states and expand the event’s collaboration potential.
• Continue to identify and address local issues such as smoke management through ongoing research and communication.
• Include more local leaders, county commissioners, and emergency response teams to increase acceptance of prescribed burn practices.
• Collaborate with agency partners to improve prescribed fire policies and laws. 

Funding Partners

• Funding partners for the summits have included: Great Plains Fire Science Exchange, Pheasants Forever, Natural Resource Conservation Service, Noble Research Institute, Kansas State University Cooperative Extension, Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension Service, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Nebraska Prescribed Fire Council, Loess Canyons Rangeland Alliance, Oklahoma Prescribed Burn Association

Sources Referenced

• Bertrand, D. (2017). â€�â€� Southern Climate Impacts Planning Program.
• Bidwell, T. G., Engle, D. M., Moseley, M. E., & Masters, R. E. (2016). â€�â€� Oklahoma State University Extension.
• Crockford J. F., Weir, J. R., Blocksome, C. E., Russell, M. L., & Tidwell, D. L. (2017). â€�â€� Oklahoma State University Extension.
• Donovan, V. M., Wonkka, C. L., Wedin, D. A., & Twidwell, D. (2020). â€�â€�&²Ô²ú²õ±è;Remote Sensing, 12(11), 1869.
• National Park Service. (March 18, 2024). â€�.â€�
• Salo, C. (2013). â€�â€� Great Plains Fire Science Exchange.
• Weir, J., Stevens, R. L., & Bidwell, T. G. (2014). â€�â€� Oklahoma State University Extension.

Contacts

• John Weir, Natural Resource and Ecology Management Department Oklahoma State University: [email protected]
• Brain Hays, Bamert Seed Company
• Mark Shafer, Oklahoma Climatological Survey: [email protected]   

CART Lead Author

• Jessica Zimmerman, Case Study Author, CART: [email protected]

Suggested Citation

Zimmerman, J., N. (2025). “Great Plains Fire Summit: Collaborating to Enhance Prescribed Burns in the South Central Plains.â€�&²Ô²ú²õ±è;CART. Retrieved from /project/prescribed-burn-collaboration-great-plains