Minister Dorsett Keynote Address at Prescribed Burning Training Opening Ceremony December 1st, 2014 COMMISSIONER OF POLICE – ELLISON GREENSLADE, SENIOR ROYAL BAHAMAS POLICE FORCE OFFICIALS, PERMANENT SECRETARY CAMILLE JOHNSON, UNDERSECRETARIES, DIRECTOR OF FORESTRY, TRAINERS – CHRIS BERGH, BOB BALE, ALEX BELOTE, PARTICIPANTS FROM RELEVANT GOVERNMENT AND NON GOVERNMENTAL AGENCIES – GOOD MORNING. IT IS INDEED A GREAT PLEASURE FOR ME TO COME HERE TODAY AND SAY A FEW WORDS DURING THIS MOST ADVANTAGEOUS PRESCRIBED BURNING TRAINING WORKSHOP. AS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT NATURAL AGENTS OF CHANGE, FIRE PLAYS A VITAL ROLE IN MAINTAINING
CERTAIN
ECOSYSTEMS.
HISTORICALLY,
THE
AMERICAN INDIANS INTENTIONALLY SET FIRES TO STIMULATE PLANT
GROWTH ON GRASSLANDS AND KEEP FOREST AREAS OPEN TO PRODUCE FOOD.
EARLY EUROPEAN SETTLERS USED FIRE FOR
HUNDREDS OF YEARS TO KEEP PASTURES OPEN AND HEALTHY. PRESCRIBED BURNING IS STILL USED BY SOME FARMERS AND BY OTHER
LAND
MANAGERS
IN
PARTICULAR
OUR
AMERICAN
COUNTERPART AGENCIES LIKE THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND U.S. FOREST SERVICE, JUST TO NAME A FEW. PRESCRIBED BURNING IS MOST EFFECTIVE WHEN APPLIED BY SPECIALIST TEAMS SUCH AS FORESTERS, FIRE FIGHTERS, AND THE THREE ESTEEMED TRAINERS SEATED WITH US TODAY. SPECIALISTS WRITE BURN PLANS FOR PRESCRIBED FIRES. THESE PLANS IDENTIFY – OR PRESCRIBE – THE BEST CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH TREES AND OTHER PLANTS WILL BURN TO GET THE BEST RESULTS SAFELY. THESE PLANS CONSIDER TEMPERATURE, HUMIDITY, WIND, MOISTURE OF THE VEGETATION, AND CONDITIONS FOR THE DISPERSAL OF SMOKE. PRESCRIBED FIRE SPECIALISTS COMPARE CONDITIONS ON THE GROUND TO THOSE OUTLINED IN BURN PLANS BEFORE DECIDING WHETHER TO BURN ON A GIVEN DAY.
THE RIGHT FIRE, AT THE RIGHT PLACE, AT THE RIGHT TIME: • REDUCES HAZARDOUS FUELS, PROTECTING HUMAN COMMUNITIES FROM EXTREME WILDFIRES; • MINIMIZES THE SPREAD OF PESTS, INSECTS AND DISEASE; • REMOVES UNWANTED SPECIES THAT THREATEN NATIVE SPECIES • PROVIDES FORAGE FOR GAME; • IMPROVES HABITAT FOR THREATENED AND ENDANGERED SPECIES; • RECYCLES NUTRIENTS BACK TO THE SOIL; AND • PROMOTES THE GROWTH OF TREES, WILDFLOWERS, AND OTHER PLANTS; THUS, YOU CAN SEE THAT PRESCRIBED BURNING, WHEN EXECUTED CORRECTLY
IS
EFFECTIVE
AND
HAS
MANY
ECONOMICAL
ADVANTAGES. THIS “MANAGEMENT TOOL” CAN ALSO BE USED TO SATISFY OTHER MANAGEMENT OBJECTIVES AND IS THE SINGLE PREFERRED OPTION FOR FUEL MANAGEMENT AT A LARGE SCALE. ITS MAJOR LIMITATION IS THE NEED TO COMPLY WITH A RESTRICTED WEATHER AND A FUEL MOISTURE WINDOW. FORTUNATELY, THIS ALSO MINIMIZES THE RISK OF FIRE ESCAPE, SMOKE PRODUCTION AND
NEGATIVE ECOLOGICAL EFFECTS. HOWEVER, IT ALSO DEMANDS INCREASED PUBLIC AWARENESS, TRAINING AND PLANNING WHICH IS WHY YOU ARE GATHERED HERE TODAY.
THIS TRAINING IS A CONTINUATION OF OTHER TRAINING
WORKSHOPS FACILITATED BY THE FORESTRY UNIT FROM GIS TO FOREST
INVENTORY
SURVEY
WORK.
PREVIOUS
PRESCRIBED
BURNING WORKSHOPS HAVE ALSO BEEN CONDUCTED IN THE BAHAMAS BUT WHAT MAKES THIS ONE SPECIAL IS THAT THIS IS THE FIRST
ONE
ORGANIZED
BY
OUR
FORESTRY
PREVIOUSLY, WE HAD NO FORESTRY UNIT.
UNIT
BECAUSE
THIS IS A GREAT
ACCOUMPLISHMENT AND MILESTONE. OUR CARIBBEAN PINE IS A FIRE DEPENDENT SPECIES. IT IS ALSO AN ECONOMICALLY IMPORTANT SPECIES. AFTER MANY YEARS WITHOUT FIRE, AN ECOSYSTEM THAT NEEDS PERIODIC FIRE BECOMES UNHEALTHY,
TREES ARE STRESSED BY OVERCROWDING; FIRE-
DEPENDENT SPECIES DISAPPEAR; AND FLAMMABLE FUELS BUILD UP AND BECOME HAZARDOUS. PRESCRIBED BURNING ALSO PLAYS A VITAL ROLE WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF "CLOSE-TO-NATURE" FORESTRY AND AREAS WITH CONSERVATION STATUS ULTIMATELY PRODUCING THE KINDS OF VEGETATION AND LANDSCAPES WE WANT. IT IS MY HOPE THAT PARTICIPANTS WILL GIVE THEIR FULL
ATTENTION TO THIS TRAINING AND NOT ONLY LEAVE SKILLED BUT ALSO FIRED UP FOR FORESTRY, FULLY COGNIZANT OF ALL ITS WONDERFUL BENEFITS. GOD BLESS MY MINISTRY AND YOUR MINISTRY, THE GREAT CONSTITUENCY OF SOUTHERN SHORES AND MOST OF ALL THE BAHAMAS.