Prescribed burns planned for Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge | News

The following is a news release from the Department of the Interior/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service:

According to Jamie Farmer, Fire Management Officer of the Southwest Louisiana National Wildlife Refuge Complex, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service personnel are planning to conduct a prescribed burn on Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge beginning Feb. 28 as weather permits. 

The burn is planned for the Lacassine Wilderness area and adjoining Management Units H and J. Prescribed burning is a commonly used habitat management tool which can reduce the potential for catastrophic wildfires, control invasive species, and restore and revitalize ecosystems. If appropriate weather conditions occur and resources are available, up to 5,990 acres of refuge marsh habitat will be treated with fire. 

Fire management personnel will be working closely with the National Weather Service to predict when appropriate weather conditions will occur so they may conduct the burns and least impact local communities with smoke. Ideally, northerly winds will lift and disperse smoke over the Gulf. They will also keep local emergency management offices, including, Bell City/Hayes VFD, Cameron Sheriff’s Office, and Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, informed of day to day operations once they begin.

For more information about these prescribed burns, contact Incident Information Officer, Diane Borden-Billiot, at 337-598-2216.