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182 <br /> Fire <br /> Prescribed fire is the planned use of fire under pre-determined weather and fuel <br /> conditions to obtain specific management objectives. This is also known as "controlled" <br /> burning, and when done correctly it mimics the fiequent burning that used to occur in NC <br /> naturally. Prescribed burning is a critical management tool that benefits North Carolina's <br /> forests, wildlife and overall environment. It also helps reduce the devastating impacts of <br /> uncontrolled wildfire hazards. Prescribed fire is especially important in North Carolina <br /> due to the large amount of land lying in the Wildland/Urban Interface (WI). The N.C. <br /> General Assembly recognized the importance of prescribed burning in the NC Prescribed <br /> Burning Act,which may be reviewed at the following website: <br /> bq://www.ncleg.net/EnactedLegislatior/Statutes/PDF/ByAgicle/Chgpter_106/Article 8 <br /> O.pdf <br /> The NC Forest Service and its partners train,plan and coordinate with local fire services <br /> and before a prescribed fire is started in order to ensure that all burning regulations are <br /> obeyed. There are also private contract burners that provide this service in various parts <br /> of the state. <br /> Additional information on prescribed burning may be found at: <br /> • http://ncforestservice.;zov/Managing your forest/managing`your_forest.htm <br /> • http://www.ces.nesu.edu/forestry/pdf/aWAG-616.pdf <br /> • hqp://www.ncfirewise.or�/ <br /> • htt ://ncforestservice. ov/fire control/fc wui.htm <br /> Prescribed Fire Opportunities on Your Property: Addressed in FSP. <br /> Carbon Cycle <br /> All forest plants and soils "store" carbon, so your management influences the natural <br /> cycles of that storage in both living and dead plant material. The removal of carbon from <br /> the atmosphere is the process of carbon sequestration. Trees are roughly 50% carbon, <br /> based on dry weight. Certain forest management practices can promote more plant <br /> growth per acre. Timber harvests can lead to durable wood products that store carbon for <br /> long periods of time. You enable the trees on your forest to use and store carbon by <br /> maintaining forest health, replanting areas that have been harvested and actively <br /> managing a dynamic growing forest. <br /> In recent years, programs dealing with"carbon sequestration", "carbon credits" and <br /> "biomass"have been in the news. While the resulting financial benefit to forest <br /> landowners is still in question,this may still be a topic to watch. The amount of carbon <br /> 25 <br />