Here is an article I came across from The Wetumpka Herald on the benefits to the pine forest ecosystem of burning.  I think it’s important to get this information out there since so many people think that all forest fires are bad.  Our pine forests must have fire to be in balance.

By Rebecca Bearden

The sweet aroma of Southern pine tree snags smoldering on a warm February afternoon is a fragrance most appreciated when standing on the safe side of a secure fireline. Creeping across the blackened Alabama landscape, smoke alone remained from the intense flames that rolled through the forest earlier in the day.

The fire crew made executing a successful Sunday morning prescribed burn on 1,800 acres of the Oakmulgee Ranger District in the Talladega National Forest look easy, like this group had been working in step their entire lives. In reality, this team of skilled fire specialists, wildlife biologists, timber markers and equipment operators hailed from ranger districts throughout Alabama and even included a volunteer from Oregon. Well versed in teamwork, communication, fire behavior and safety, each member of this diverse band share one common passion—they love fire.

Read More Here: http://www.thewetumpkaherald.com/sports/outdoors/article_6bdc6c60-4c2b-11e0-8a9f-001cc4c002e0.html