SOUTHWICK – This August, the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife) will be burning portions of the Southwick Wildlife Management Area (WMA) to improve and maintain wildlife habitat. The exact date, time, and location of the burn will depend on safety and environmental conditions. Southwick residents may receive a reverse 911 notification from the Southwick Fire Department one or more days prior to the burn. On the day of the burn, portions of the WMA will be temporarily closed. The public is requested to avoid posted burn areas. The prescribed burn will be conducted by a highly skilled and trained crew in cooperation with the Southwick Fire Department, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation’s Bureau of Forest Fire Control, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
Periodic fires are vital to the continued existence of specialized native plants and wildlife. Fire-dependent habitats such as Grasslands, Heathlands and Pitch Pine and Oak Woodlands provide critical food and cover for rare and declining wildlife. Rare Grasshopper Sparrows, as well as common wildlife like White-tailed Deer and Wild Turkey are among the local wildlife benefiting from this burn. Prescribed burns also maintain wide open vistas and reduce wildfire risk by decreasing accumulated dry, hazardous and flammable vegetation.
For more information on prescribed fire, visit MassWildlife’s Prescribed Fire page or contact MassWildlife’s Acting Prescribed Fire Program Manager, Caren Caljouw at 508-389-6395, or [email protected].
