Success Story: Prescribed Burn Program
Hoke Community Forest institutes a prescribed burn program
Project Purpose
The Hoke Community Forest is owned by Hoke County and its residents. A host of partners worked with the County to restore the land that was acquired from a paper company in a degraded status. Previous owners had suppressed wildfire and wildfire risk, which led to overgrowth of fuel, which increases wildfire risk. This also caused stress to the ecosystem which was naturally adapted to periodic fire. As part of the restoration efforts and to reduce the risk of uncontrolled wildfire, the Hoke Community Forest steering committee sought to implement a prescribed burn program. The forest is now a habitat to rare and endangered species, a site for environmental education and recreation, as well as a site for sustainable forestry practices, which generate income for the residents of Hoke County.
Quick Facts
- The Hoke Community Forest is a 534-acre tract of land previously managed for pulp and dominated by a single pulp species. The Conservation Fund (TCF) first acquired the land in 2006 to restore it and made long-term plans with Hoke County for the County to eventually take ownership.
- To promote conservation and reduce wildfire risk, the forest management plan includes a prescribed burn component.
- The Sandhills Prescribed Burn Association (SPBA) is a community-based entity in the region that works with private and public landowners to conduct prescribed fires. SPBA helped Hoke Community Forest plan and implement prescribed burn.
- The Hoke Community Forest is now considered a rare and high conservation value forest, and it is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council for sustainable forest management.
North Carolina Wildfires
Fire is a natural part of North Carolina’s ecosystems. Historically, Native American and European land stewards relied on fire to help them use forested land for hunting, grazing and other human uses. As development increased and tree harvesting became the dominant economic use of forest, public and private landowners had to suppress wildfire to protect buildings and stocks of trees.
Ironically, some wildfire suppression techniques increase long-term risk. When wildfires are extinguished, fuel sources such as leaf litter and dead trees continue to accumulate. This fuel can lead to wildfires that are larger, more dangerous and more costly to manage. At the same time, climatic changes such as higher temperatures and more erratic precipitation also create conditions conducive to wildfire. For these two reasons, the likelihood of wildfire is increasing in North Carolina.
Prescribed Burns
Prescribed burn helps landowners avoid uncontrolled fires by eliminating fuel on the forest floor. The careful control of fire protects human development from risk. Managed fires also contribute to the health of the ecosystem by releasing nutrients and supporting natural regrowth of native species like the longleaf pine. The North Carolina Forest Service (NCFS) and the NC Division of Parks and Recreation can help manage a controlled burn. Both entities want to help communities build local capacity to better manage forests, such as through controlled burns. Local governments and organizations can commission a prescribed burn from NCFS or other consultants for $35 per acre.
Spotlight on Equity
Hoke County is racially diverse and has historically been economically distressed. The Hoke Community Forest is designed to create environmental and recreational value, as well as generate financial revenue for the County. It is particularly welcome as an environmental amenity in an area with relatively fewer outdoor recreation opportunities.
| Key Info | |
|---|---|
| Location | North Carolina |
| Estimated Costs | $888,000 |
| Published | March 1, 2024 |
| Project Contact |
|---|
| Jesse Wimberley Coordinator NC Sandhills Prescribed Burn Association Jesse@sandhillspba.org (910) 603-1052 |
| Related Resources |
|---|
- In 2011, TCF transferred ownership of the land to Hoke County with an easement on all 534 acres. The County learned about the history of the landscape and drafted a plan to increase residents’ use of the forest.
- To prepare the forest for prescribed burning, the Hoke Community Forest steering committee had the forest's loblolly pines thinned and then planted with native vegetation like wiregrass, allowing the canopy to open and admit growth of native grasses and shrubs. This change ensured that fire would spread at a variable rate so that areas would burn at different temperatures. In addition, restoring vegetation like wiregrass can help replace some of the lost groundcover (from the land’s fire suppression years) and protect soils. Wiregrass also has a complementary relationship with fire. The grass helps carry fire through the forest, an important feature for reinstating burns.
- In 2020, land managers reintroduced fire to the forest. The Hoke Community Forest steering committee continues to work with the NCFS and SPBA to initiate burns across 175 of the 534 acres.
- After extensive thinning of the loblolly pine and prescribed burning, the community celebrated the planting of the first new longleaf pine seedlings in 2022.
- The County and its partners are still taking steps to return the forest to its natural state and reduce the chance of large wildfires. The SPBA collected wiregrass seeds as recently as December 2023 for a community-driven seed planting event.
- A multitude of organizations contributed to the overall effort to restore the land, including TCF, community-based organizations, state agencies and Fort Liberty (formerly Fort Bragg).
- The County slowly reimbursed TCF for $888,000 with grants from the NC Parks and Recreation Trust Fund, NC Land and Water Fund, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
- The National Wildlife Federation helped acquire and spend additional funding on forestry managers and consultants.
- The forest thinning generated roughly $280,000 for the residents of Hoke County. The steering committee provided roughly $180,000 to help the County rehabilitate of the forest. In addition, thinning of the forest — required for the prescribed burns — produced timber that Hoke County was able to sell to cover additional rehabilitation costs.
Hoke County; Sandhills Prescribed Burn Association; NC Forest Service; National Wildlife Federation; The Conservation Fund
- Hoke County residents are already reporting signs of a healthy ecosystem emerging in the Hoke Community Forest thanks to clearing of loblolly pines. Young longleaf pine trees have already sprouted, and native grasses and shrubs are taking hold.
- Future thinning operations — which will continue supporting the forest's restoration — will generate income for county residents. The County was permitted to conduct sustainable loblolly timber harvesting despite the environmental easement since removal of these trees helps benefit the natural ecosystem.
- The Hoke Community Forest now offers community benefits, including hiking and horse-riding trails.
- The SPBA, with assistance from NCFS, helped to install firelines.
- The Hoke County community now uses the Hoke Community Forest as an outdoor classroom to teach residents about the importance of forestry and fire management.
What are Firelines?
Firelines, or dozer lines, help prevent the spread of wildfire by removing fuel sources. Forest managers use bulldozers to move litter, fallen trees and other vegetation along a set path around the wildfire in hopes of slowing or stopping its advance. Firelines are also dug for prescribed burns to manage the size of a burn.
SPBA Coordinator Jesse Wimberley was pleased with the project. When asked what he might do differently if he were to repeat the project, he said, “I wouldn’t change anything about our methods. This has been an incredibly effective project due to the numerous partnerships that have come together to make it happen.”
If other communities have forested environments that are underperforming, either ecologically or economically like Hoke County’s forests were, Wimberley recommends communities follow this example. Re-establishing a healthy forest has a positive effect not only for the landowners but also for public health, environmental health and prevention of uncontrolled wildfire. “Anyone, including private landowners, could replicate what we did,” said Wimberley.