What is Waste and Why is it a Problem?

Wastes are variety of materials that are no longer required by people. We usually call this
garbage. Waste is a natural by-product of any process on Earth and cannot be avoided.
Nature reuses all of its by-products, with no waste in the end. What is waste for one is
useful for another. For example dead leaves decompose to provide nutrients to plants and
oxygen released from trees is used by us.

We humans, however, have disturbed this balance by bringing in new problems such as toxic
and non-degradable wastes and even nuclear wastes into the environment. Even ‘normal’ solid
waste is now a problem because there is too much of it.
Studies show that on an average, each person in urban areas produces half a kilogram of
garbage each day. This doesn’t include the garbage we make indirectly - through industry,
agriculture and mining. Twenty per cent of Indians live in urban areas. This calculates to
more than 36 million tons of garbage each year in cities alone !

Though waste generated has increased, the way we deal with the disposal of waste has not
changed in over ten thousand years. We pile it and then burn it, or bury it in some out-of-
the-way place where we forget about it. But today, we are faced with too much garbage and
not enough places left to throw it away. Improper disposal of solid wastes has lead to
ground water contamination, air pollution, health hazards etc. go top...

CLEAN-India Helps Manage Waste Better

The members of CLEAN programme are made aware of the glaring (but overlooked) problem
of waste in our cities. Activities and film shows have made students aware of the solid
waste problem in urban areas and their role in reducing it. Issues like the ill effects of
polybags, littering on our streets, excessive consumerism are all discussed and deliberated
with student groups. Clean-up drives in local parks and markets are organised in which
students very enthusiastically help in cleaning up and drive home the message that adults
should not indulge in littering.

With the objective of managing the waste locally through simple techniques, natural
composting, vermicomposting, paper recycling and Reuse Society have been initiated in
schools and community.

Composting
Composting is, in the broadest terms, the biological reduction of organic wastes to humus.
Whenever a plant / animal dies, its remains are attacked by soil micro-organisms and are
reduced to an earthlike substance that is beneficial for the growth of plant (roots). This
process is repeated universally and continuously in every part of the world, and is a part of
the wheel of life.

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Two methods of Composting undertaken at the school level are Vermicomposting and
Natural Composting.

Natural Composting

In natural composting, the waste decomposes with the aid of other factors such as insects,
worms and tiny microbes. This is possible in each and every school, irrespective of the
amount of waste they generate. Schools that do not have their own canteens and
consequently have little biodegradable waste generated can adopt this project. They can
decompose all their garden waste easily by alternatively layering a pit ( 1 m deep, 1 m wide
and 1 m.long, as per convenience) with the waste and soil. This form of composting is
recommended particularly for those schools which have a lot of garden waste like dried
leaves that can be saved from burning. The compost thus generated is used in the school
lawns and gardens as a substitute for manure, thus saving the cost of fertilisers.

Vermicomposting

This is the process through which we can convert biodegradable waste into rich humus by
using earthworms. After an earthworm ingests organic matter, the matter undergoes
chemical changes and what comes out is a rich plant food. This makes our soil fertile and
plants stronger. Then we need not buy chemical fertilisers.

Many CLEAN-India schools, that have their own canteens and gardens have adopted this
project. Hands-on-experience in vermicomposting shows students effective ways of taking
care of biodegradable waste. The project not only solves the problem of solid waste to an
extent and gives rich compost in return, it also helps students realize the importance of
small creatures like earthworms and helps them shed their fear. In the process it brings
alive the concepts learnt in class about decomposition in nature and how earthworms
function. In many schools, the compost produced is also sold to the parents. Few schools like
Shri Ram and Joseph and Mary in Delhi are now providing earthworms and helping people of
nearby villages to initiate their own vermicomposting units.

go top

Re-Use Society

A king once offered five hundred garments to a disciple of Buddha.

The king asked the disciple what he would do with so many garments ?
The Disciple replied : " Oh King, many of our brothers are in rags:I am going to distribute
the garments among brothers."
What will you do with the old garments ?
We will make bed - covers out of them.
What will you do with the old bed - covers ?
We will make pillow - cases out of them.
What will you do with the old pillow - cases ?

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 We will make floor - covers out of them.
What will you do with the old floor - covers ?
We will use them for foot towels .
What will you do with the old foot - towels ?
Your highness, we will tear them into pieces,
mix them with mud and use the mud to plaster the house walls.

What is waste for you, is wealth for somebody else. There has been a tradition in India of
finding an innovative use for every thing: - tyres, battery cases, plastic bins and what not. A
similar thing is started in School which saves both the environment and money in the
bargain, in addition to inculcating in students a habit of not discarding things unthinkingly.

Apart from making innovative things from discarded things in the Crafts Period, two major
activities are suggested to the school under the Reuse Society. The first activity is to
exchange books and even notes at the beginning of each academic session. Students of a
senior class give the books to the students of a junior class and, in turn, receive books from
the senior section, and a chain is established throughout the school. This way a lot of paper
and consequently trees can be saved.

The next major activity in the Reuse Society is to donate books and outgrown clothes, toys,
etc. The books / story books /comics that have been read and re-read, the clothes and
shoes that have outgrown, are collected in schools and given to the less fortunate children
of the society. Such collection is presented to Child Welfare organizations, slums,
orphanages etc.

Today most of our towns and cities are unable to cope with the rapid pace of urbanisation.
People do not understand that it is their right to clean water to drink, clean air to breathe, proper
housing, education and health. We also shun our responsibility of keeping our environment clean.
It is an acceptable fact that no government can keep cities clean by mere enforcement of
environmental laws. Public co-operation and participation is vital for cleaner and greener cities.

"The child is the father of man" and thus a powerful agent of education. The CLEAN-India
programme realises the enormous potential hidden in the students and the youth who are
capable of changing the world. The programme aims to mobilize community responsibility for
environmental assessment and improvement in all major towns and cities of India. Presently
CLEAN-India has a network of 35 schools in Delhi and 17 centres all over India.

Though school itself is a unit of the community, CLEAN-India is not confined to schools. The
programme envisages learning for students through community service and scientific
investigation. This helps the youth discover and implement lasting solutions to environmental
issues in their community. It also develops life-long habits of active citizenship and environmental
stewardship.

In the water quality monitoring programme, if students find the water quality to be poor they
recommend simple steps to improve the water quality. This can be as simple as boiling water to
using chlorine as a disinfectant. Followup action undertaken include stream cleaning in Shillong,
spreading awareness to avoid bathing and washing activities near the water springs in Berinag to
ensuring the school authorities regularly keep the water tanks cleaned and chlorinated in the
schools.

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Similarly after monitoring the air quality with the help of Pawan TARA Kit, students have been
motivated to form car pools and report to the concerned authorities the numbers of polluting
vehicles on roads.

CLEAN students have also spearheaded campaigns of local relevance to enthuse local
communities to change their attitudes. Major issues which CLEAN students have campaigned for
are the ill effects of the use of polybags and toxic colours during Holi, implications of bursting
crackers during Diwali. Once the students are convinced about the issues, they actively
campaign to further spread awareness in the school, neighbouring communities and even nearby
schools. Whether the medium is creative street plays, public hearings, rallies, door to door
signature campaigns, exhibitions, competitions, CLEAN students have been highly successful in
spreading the message to more and more people. With the help of CLEAN-Delhi, Ramjas School,
Delhi along with neighbourhood schools carried out a big campaign in their sector to make it a
cracker free zone. This Holi, some of our schools made and sold natural Holi colours to parents
and others. Making paper bags from old newspapers / notebooks, distributing them to
shopkeepers and urging them to stop using polybags, is an activity which many schools
undertake regularly in all CLEAN-India centres.

CLEAN students have over the years initiated various action projects in schools and are gradually
extending it to the community. Many students have taken part in afforestation drives where the
emphasis extends beyond the act of tree plantation. Students are taught how to take care of
trees and nurture them. After planting in school they return home motivated to plant in their
homes, parks and care more for the existing trees. Students also take part in drives to remove
advertisements nailed into trees, remove tree guards from grown trees and to de-tile pavements
close to the tree trunk.

We can do it!
Under the CLEAN’s solid waste management
project, students among other things, have Our school is situated in a village called Burari.
gained hands-on-experience in Villagers are rich but they are illiterate. They
vermicomposting which shows them effective used to throw their garbage in front of their
ways of taking care of biodegradable waste. In houses. Their places were the breeding places
the process it brings alive the concepts learnt in of mosquitos and other micro organisms. After
class about decomposition in nature and how we learnt vermicomposting from CLEAN-Delhi,
earthworms function. In many schools, the we decided to spread this technique to the
compost produced is also sold to the parents. village. We made a pit in the village and
Few schools like Shri Ram and Joseph and advised villagers to throw their garbage in that
Mary in Delhi are now providing earthworms and pit. This way they are getting manure for their
helping people of nearby villages to initiate their plants.
own vermicomposting units. Clean-up drives in
local parks and markets are also organised in We led a rally against use of polybags in Burari
which students very enthusiastically help in village. Students spoke to the villagers and told
cleaning up and drive home the message that them about the dangerous effects of polythene
adults should not indulge in littering. bags. They made paper bags and distributed it
among the villagers.
CLEAN-India is a dynamic programme, which
keeps evolving with each formal or informal There are about 20 water taps in our school.
feedback received. Activities are included or When students use this water, about half of the
modified as per the demands of the students or water is wasted. Near to these taps we made
the local needs. For example in Shillong stream tank for the collection of this waste water and
cleaning became a major activity, while from this tank we pump water to our garden.
campaigning for Yamuna was a priority in
Delhi. Vasundhara Eco Club, Joseph & Mary Public
School, Delhi
The real success of the programme is visible in the seemingly simple acts like: students
exchange books in a new academic session thus indirectly save paper and thereby also the

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trees; switching off lights before leaving their classrooms; closing a flowing tap even in public
places; using natural colours during Holi, etc . The achievement of CLEAN-India is exemplified
most when students opt for future studies in subjects related to environmental sciences and more
so continue to be environmentally sensitive and active even in diverse fields. Most of all, the
programme has proven that indeed child power can go a long way in bringing about attitudinal
change in the society. After all they are our future.

A non-renewable resource is a natural resource that cannot be produced, re-grown,

regenerated, or reused on a scale which can sustain its consumption rate. These resources
often exist in a fixed amount, or are consumed much faster than nature can recreate them.
Fossil fuel (such as coal, petroleum and natural gas)is an example. In contrast, resources
such as timber (when harvested sustainably) or metals (which can be recycled) are
considered renewable resources [1].

A non-renewable resource is always drawn down with anabolic processes that use up
energy.[citation needed]

Contents
[hide]

• 1 Fossil fuels
• 2 Economic models
• 3 See also
• 4 Notes

• 5 External links

[edit] Fossil fuels

A temporary oil drilling rig in Western Australia

Further information: Oil depletion

Natural resources such as coal, petroleum,oil and natural gas take millions of years to
form naturally and cannot be replaced as fast as they are being consumed. Eventually
natural resources will become too costly to harvest and humanity will need to find other
sources of energy. At present, the main energy sources used by humans are non-
renewable as they are cheap to produce.

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Some natural resources, called renewable resources, are replaced by natural processes
given a reasonable amount of time. Soil, water, forests, plants, and animals are all
renewable resources as long as they are properly conserved. Solar, wind, wave, and
geothermal energies are based on renewable resources. Renewable resources such as the
movement of water (hydropower, including tidal power; ocean surface waves used for
wave power), wind (used for wind power), geothermal heat (used for geothermal power);
and radiant energy (used for solar power) are practically infinite and cannot be depleted,
unlike their non-renewable counterparts, which are likely to run out if not used wisely.
Still, these technologies are not fully utilized.[2]

[edit] Economic models

Hotelling's rule is a 1931 economic model of non-renewable resource management by
Harold Hotelling. It shows that efficient exploitation of a nonrenewable and
nonaugmentable resource would, under otherwise stable economic conditions, lead to a
depletion of the resource. The rule states that this would lead to a net price or "Hotelling
rent" for it that rose annually at a rate equal to the rate of interest, reflecting the
increasing scarcity of the resources. The Hartwick's rule provides an important result
about the sustainability of welfare in an economy that uses non-renewable resources

Definition: The ability of an ecosystem to produce the raw materials necessary for
economic activities. This includes non-renewable resources, such as metals, minerals, and
fossil fuels. This includes all non-renewable resources found both on and below the
surface of the Ecosystem.

Definition Source: None

Non-Renewable Resources Categories:

1.2.6.1 Non-Renewable Subsurface Resources: The ability to provide non-renewable
resources as raw material for economic activities, such as metals, minerals, water, and
fossil fuels, found beneath the soil, within the geologic strata for land ecosystems or
beneath the water surface for ocean ecosystems. (Definition Source: None)

1.2.6.2 NonRenewable Surface Resources: The ability to provide non-renewable

resources as raw material for economic activities, such as metals, minerals, water, and
fossil fuels, found above the soil, within the land ecosystem or on the water surface for
ocean ecosystems. (Definition Source: None)

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Environmental Effects

USDA Forest Service Southern Region, February 1989; Technical

Publication R8-TP 11

Prescribed burning has direct and indirect effects on the

environment. Proper use of prescribed fire, and evaluation
of the benefits and costs of a burn require knowledge of
how fire affects vegetation, wildlife, soil, water, and air.
Burning techniques and timing of burns can be varied to
alter fire effects.

Effects on Vegetation

Fire may injure or kill part of a plant or the entire plant, Hardwood topkill.
depending on how intensely the fire burns and how long the plant is exposed to high temperatures. In
addition, plant characteristics such as bark thickness and stem diameter influence the susceptibility to
fire. Small trees of any species are easier to kill than large ones.

Southern pine bark has good insulating qualities, and is

thicker than the bark of most hardwood species. As a
result, hardwood trees are generally much more
susceptible to fire injury than are pines. Pine trees 3
inches or more in ground diameter have bark thick enough
to protect the stems from damage by most prescribed
fires. However, the crowns are quite vulnerable to
temperatures above 1350°F. Pine needles will survive
exposure to 1300°F for about 5 minutes, while similar
needles exposed to 1450°F for only a few seconds will
Lethal time - temperature curve.
die.

Very high temperatures are produced in the flames of burning forest fuels. Fortunately, the hot gases
cool rapidly above the flame zone and are back to a few degrees above normal air temperature a
short distance from a prescribed fire unless the wind is calm. Adequate wind should be present to
help dissipate the heat and slow its rise into the overstory canopy. Wind is also important in cooling
crowns heated by radiation from fire. Southern pines generally survive complete crown scorch as long
as there is little needle consumption. Severe needle scorch will, however, retard growth for a year or
more after damage and, in this weakened state, the trees are more susceptible to drought and beetle
attack.

Temperatures of the air and vegetation at the time of burning are critical factors. When the air
temperature is 400°F, it takes twice as much heat to kill the foliage in a tree crown at any given height
above a fire than when it is 900°F The effect of high air
temperature is recognized in using fire to control
understory hardwoods. Although winter burns will topkill
hardwoods, summer burns are generally required to kill
hardwood rootstocks. Less heat is needed to raise plant
cells to their lethal temperature during the summer, and as
a general rule, plants are more easily damaged by fire
when they are actively growing.

In areas with scenic values, a special effort should be

made to keep needle scorch and bark char to a minimum. Differential fire effects.

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Even though pine bark is a good insulator, cambial damage can occur from the extended smoldering
of duff around the root collar. Such damage is especially likely in previously unburned, mature trees
where a deep organic layer has accumulated. Whenever heat penetrates into the soil, feeder roots
and beneficial soil organisms are likely to be killed. Damaged pines are more susceptible to bark
beetle attack, especially if adverse weather conditions (e.g. drought) after the burn compound any
loss in tree vigor. However, many observers report less insect damage in stands that undergo
periodic prescribed burns than in stands where fire has been excluded.

Prescribed fire generally is not used in the management of hardwoods intended for harvest once a
stand is established. Fire may not kill large-diameter hardwoods outright, but it will often leave fire
scars. Such scars render the lower portion of the bole unmerchantable and provide entry to insects
and disease.

Many benefits from prescribed fire, such as reduced hardwood competition, increased forage for
grazing, and improved conditions for wildlife, depend on changes in the vegetation. Unwise use of fire
may also alter species composition, but with adverse results, particularly when relying on natural
regeneration.

Effects on Soil

Specific effects on soil may vary greatly. Frequency,

duration, and intensity of fire, as well as soil characteristics
must be considered. Prescribed burning in the South
normally causes little or no detectable change in amount
of organic matter in surface soils. In fact, slight increases
have been reported on some burned areas. Prescribed
underburns will not cause changes in the structure of
mineral soil because the elevated temperatures are of
brief duration. However, burning piled or windrowed
debris, or burning when fuel and/or soil moisture
Leave some duff to protect the soil.
conditions are extremely low, may elevate temperatures
long enough to ignite organic matter in the soil as well as
alter the structure of soil clays.

As a stand matures, an increasing proportion of the

nutrients on the site become locked up in the vegetation
and are unavailable for further use until plants die and
decompose. Low-intensity fires speed up this recycling
process, returning nutrients back to the soil where they are
again available to plants. Under many conditions, burning
may increase nitrogen fixation in the soil and thus
compensate for nitrogen loss to the atmosphere that Exposing mineral soil in hilly
results from burning the litter layer. terrain can cause erosion.

When duff layers are not completely consumed, changes in soil pore space and infiltration rate are
very slight. If mineral soil is repeatedly exposed, rain impact may clog fine pores with soil and carbon
particles, decreasing infiltration rates and aeration of the soil.

A major concern of the forest manager is how fires affect surface runoff and soil erosion. On most
Lower and Middle Coastal Plain sites, there is little danger of erosion. In the steeper topography of
the Upper Coastal Plain and Piedmont, some soil movement is possible. However, if the burn is
under a timber stand and some duff remains, soil movement will be minor on slopes up to 25 percent.
The amount of soil movement will be greater after site preparation with heavy machinery than after

8
prescribed burning.

Care must be taken when clearcut logging slash is burned on steep slopes. Until grass and other
vegetation cover the site, surface runoff and soil erosion may occur. The burning phase of the "fell
and burn" site-preparation technique commonly used in the upper Piedmont and mountains should be
completed by mid-September. This timing allows herbaceous plants to seed in and provide a winter
ground cover. Burning should not be done if exposure of highly erosive soils is likely.

Soil should be wet or damp at the time of burning to ensure that an organic layer will remain after a
prescribed burn. Moisture not only protects the duff layer adjacent to the soil, but also prevents the
fire from consuming soil humus. If the forest floor is completely consumed, the microenvironment of
the upper soil layer will be drastically changed, making conditions for near-surface tree roots very
inhospitable. Damp soil also aids mopup after the burn.

Effects on Water

The main effect of prescribed burning on the water

resource is the potential for increased runoff of rainfall.
When surface runoff increases after burning, it may carry
suspended soil particles, dissolved inorganic nutrients,
and other materials into adjacent streams and lakes
reducing water quality. These effects seldom occur after
Coastal Plain burns. Problems can be avoided in hilly
areas or near metropolitan water supplies by using Protect streamside zones.
properly planned and conducted burns.

Rainwater leaches minerals out of the ash and into the soil. In sandy soils, leaching may also move
mineral through the soil layer into the ground water. Generally, a properly planned prescribed burn
will not adversely affect either the quality or quantity ground or surface water in the South.

Effects on Air

Prescribed fires may contribute changes in air quality. Air

quality of a regional scale is affected only when many
acres are burned on the same day. Local problems are
more frequent and occasionally acute due to the large
quantities of smoke that cal be produced in a given area
during short period of time.

Smoke consists of small particles (particulate) of ash,

partly consumed fuel, and liquid droplets. Other
combustion products include invisible gases such as
carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons, and
small quantities of nitrogen oxides. Oxides of nitrogen are
usually produced at temperatures only reached in piled or Backing fires produce less
windrowed slash or in very intense wildfires. In general, smoke than heading fires.
prescribed fires produce
inconsequential amounts of these gases. Except for organic soils (which are not generally consumed
prescribed burns), forests fuels contain very little sulfur, so oxides of sulfur are not a problem either.

Particulates, however, are of special concern to the prescribed burner because they reduce visibility.
The amount of particulate put into the air depends on amount and type of fuel consumed, fuel

9
moisture content, and rate of fire spread as determined by timing and type of firing technique used.
Rate of smoke dispersal depends mainly on atmospheric stability and windspeed.

Effects of smoke can be managed by burning on days when smoke will blow away from smoke-
sensitive-areas. Precautions must be taken when burning near populated areas, highways, airports,
and other smoke-sensitive areas. Weather and smoke management forecasts are available as a
guide for windspeed and direction. Any smoke impact downwind must be considered before lighting
the fire. The burner may be liable if accidents occur as a result of the smoke. All burning should be
done in accordance with applicable smoke management guidelines and regulations. During a regional
alert when high pollution potential exists, all prescribed burning should be postponed.

Nighttime burning should be done with additional care because a temperature inversion may trap the
smoke near the ground. This smoke can create a serious visibility hazard, especially in the presence
of high humidities (which occur on most nights). In particular, smoke mixing with existing fog will
drastically reduce visibility. Cool air drainage at night will carry smoke downslope, causing visibility
problems in lowlands and valleys. On the Coastal Plain,
nighttime air drainage often follows waterways. Conditions
can be especially hazardous near bridge crossings
because of the higher humidity there. Of course, the
earlier in the day a fire is completed, the less likely it is to
cause nighttime smoke problems.

More complete mopup following daytime burning and

nighttime burning only under very stringent prescriptions
can minimize the occurrence of these problems. Your local
State forestry office can help with planning nighttime Smoke sensitive areas can be
burns. impacted by prescribed fired.

Effects on Human Health and Welfare

Occasional brief exposure of the general public to low concentrations of drift smoke is more a
temporary inconvenience than a health problem. High smoke concentrations can, however, be a very
serious matter, particularly near homes of people with respiratory illnesses or near health-care
facilities.

Smoke can have negative short-and long-term health effects. Fire management personnel who are
exposed to high smoke concentrations often suffer eye and respiratory system irritation. Under some
circumstances, continued exposure to high concentrations of carbon monoxide at the combustion
zone can result in impaired alertness and judgment. The probability of this happening on a prescribed
fire is, however, virtually nonexistent.

Over 90 percent of the particulate emissions from prescribed fire are small enough to enter the
human respiratory system. These particulates can contain hundreds of chemical compounds, some of
which are toxic. The repeated, lengthy exposure to relatively low smoke concentrations over many
years can contribute to respiratory problems and cancer. But, the risk of developing cancer from
exposure to prescribed fire has been estimated to be less than 1 in a million.

Although the use of herbicides in forest management has increased all chemicals are now tested
before being approved for use, and we are more careful than ever to minimize their potential danger.
Many of them break down rapidly after being applied. Moreover, both theoretical calculations and field
studies suggest that prescribed fires are hot enough to destroy any chemical residues. Minute
quantities that may end up in smoke are well within currently-accepted air quality standards.
Threshold limit values (TLV's) are often used to measure the safety of herbicide residues in smoke.

10
Expected exposure rates of workers to various brown-and-burn combinations have been compared
with TLV's. They showed virtually no potential for harm to workers or the general public.

There is at least one group of compounds carried in smoke that can have an immediate acute impact
on individuals. When noxious plants such as poison ivy burn, the smoke can cause skin rashes.
These rashes can be much more widespread on the body than those caused by direct contact with
the plants. If you breathe this smoke, your respiratory system can also be affected.

Effects on Wildlife

The major effects on wildlife are indirect and pertain to

changes in food and cover. Prescribed fires can increase
the edge effect and amount of browse material, thereby
improving conditions for deer and other wildlife. Quail and
turkey favor food species and semi-open or open
conditions that can be created and maintained by burning.
Burning can improve habitat for marshland birds and
animals by increasing food production and availability. Prescribed burning attracts wildlife.

The deleterious effects of prescribed fire on wildlife can include destruction of nesting sites and
possible killing of birds, reptiles, or mammals trapped in the fire. Fortunately, prescribed fires can be
planned for times when nests are not being used. Also, virtually all the types of prescribed fire used in
the South provide ample escape routes for wildlife. For example, a large tract was operationally
burned with aerially-ignited spot fires and immediately examined for wildlife mortality. Fish and game
agency personnel found none, but noted deer moving back into the still-smoking burn. The ill-advised
practice of lighting all sides of a burn area (ring firing) is a primary cause of animal entrapment and
has no place in under-burning. It also results in unnecessary tree damage as the flame fronts merge
in the interior of the area.

Management of the endangered redcockaded woodpecker presents a special problem because of the
copious amounts of dried resin that stretch from the nest cavity toward the ground. The bird requires
habitat historically maintained by fire, even though these pitch flows can be ignited, carrying fire up to
the cavity. This is unlikely, however, if short flame lengths are prescribed. Fuel can also be raked
from around cavity trees as an added precaution.

Prescribed fire does not benefit fish habitat, but it can have adverse effects. Riparian zone
(streamside) vegetation must be excluded from prescribed burns to protect high quality plant and
animal habitat, and water quality. When shade is removed, water temperatures will increase. Burning
conditions are often unfavorable along streams because of increasing fuel moisture, making line
plowing optional. But a buffer zone should always be left. If in doubt, a control line should be put in.

Effects on Aesthetics

The principal effect of prescribed burning on aesthetics can be summarized in one word: contrast.
Contrast, or change from the preburn landscape, may be positive or negative depending largely on
personal opinion. What may be judged an improvement in scenic beauty by one may be considered
undesirable by another.

Many of the undesirable impacts are relatively short term and can be minimized by considering scenic
qualities when planning a burn. For example, the increased turbulence and updrafts along roads and
other forest openings will cause more intense fire with resulting higher tree trunk char and needle
scorch. Generally, the more immediate unfavorable impacts such as smoke and ash, topkilled

11
understory plants, and a blackened forest floor are necessary to achieve two major benefits -
increased visual variety and increased visual penetration.

Variety or diversity in vegetative cover will create a more

pleasing, general visual character to the stand. Similarly,
scenic qualities of the forest can be better appreciated if
the stand can be made more transparent. An example is
the reduction of an under-story buildup along a forest road
that will permit the traveler to see into the interior of the
stand, perhaps to a landscape feature such as a pond or
interesting rock outcrop. The smutty appearance of the
ground will "green up" fairly quickly. Any scorched needle
will soon drop and not be noticeable Flowers and wildlife
Aesthetics can be enhanced by prescribed fire.
will increase.

Some important points are: 1) The apparent size of a burn can be reduce by leaving unburned islands
to create a mosaic pattern of burned and unburned area. 2) Where hardwood in clusions are retained,
make sure they are large enough to be relevant to the observer. 3) Observer criteria understood if
reactions to a burn are to be predicted. Personal reactions will depend on observer distance, duration
or viewing time, and aspect.

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