I just don’t think fire is the end all-cure all to wildlife management even though IT IS a big part of it….Now don’t get me wrong as this is easy for folks to do in these discussions and think that I am somehow suddenly against fire….no……I just recognize that there are other tools that can be used as well and may be better in some situations. I think fire CAN have a negative impact

I’m thinking of one property in particular that I’ve been on a good bit in the past that’s managed with fire. I’ve even helped to burn the place myself….Its in a very poor soil area and the understory forage just really isn’t that great despite being burned and getting sunlight…..I think part of the problem may be that the soils are too thin from hot fires too frequently. Ideally you probably want to set back succession every couple of years but doing so is basically burning up all of your above ground biomass and keeping it from the soil…... That biomass has a big impact on poor soils....As you add it or remove it from my throw and mow test field....the quality and quantity of the vegetation changes.....species composition also changes ....The same principles play out across the rest of the land that is playing out in my test field.....soil organic matter and how we manage it has the same impacts