CHARLOTTE, N.C. —
Controlled fires are really helping protect the environment.
Experts at North Carolina State University say crews are burning more acres of land in the 21st century. As they predict an increase in the amount and severity of wildfires in future decades, they say prescribed burns can make wildfires more manageable.
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Without them, trees are stressed by overcrowding and flammable fuel build-up, resulting in forest prime for wildfires that can endanger communities.
Fires need three things: fuel, oxygen and heat and if any of those things are taken away, the fire goes away.
So crews will periodically pour fuel down along the perimeter of a wooded area and light it on fire. Those burns create buffers to protect communities and create spaces for firefighters to work when wildfires happen.
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