Members of the Fort McCoy prescribed burn team held a prescribed burn March 28 on South Post at Fort McCoy — continuing along railroad tracks that run through the installation.

The March 28 prescribed burn was to finish on a previous prescribed burn that was held Feb. 29.

The post prescribed burn team includes personnel with the Fort McCoy Directorate of Public Works (DPW) Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch; Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security; the Colorado State University Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands, and other garrison personnel.

For this event, the team spent several hours completing the needed prescribed burn on a day with ideal conditions. Fort McCoy DPW Natural Resources Branch officials said prescribed burns like these improve wildlife habitat, control invasive plant species, restore and maintain native plant communities, and reduce wildfire potential.

Prescribed burns benefit the environment many ways and are one of the tools that can be used on a large scale to improve wild habitat, officials said. Natural resources management officials also say prescribed burns help set back invasive species, and they burn up their seed banks.

Burns also give native species an opportunity to compete against some of the non-native species, as many native species depend on fire to help stimulate them and set back non-native species.

As the prescribed burn season continues into the spring, Fort McCoy leadership stated the post will continue performing prescribed burn operations where local conditions provide a safe and effective burn. Fort McCoy will also continue to carefully assess the most appropriate days to conduct prescribed burns.

Learn more about Fort McCoy online at https://home.army.mil/mccoy, on the Defense Visual Information Distribution System at https://www.dvidshub.net/fmpao, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” and on Twitter by searching “usagmccoy.”

Also try downloading the Digital Garrison app to your smartphone and set “Fort McCoy” or another installation as your preferred base. Fort McCoy is also part of Army’s Installation Management Command where “We Are The Army’s Home.”

Learn more about Fort McCoy online at https://home.army.mil/mccoy, on the Defense Visual Information Distribution System at https://www.dvidshub.net/fmpao, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” and on Twitter by searching “usagmccoy.”

Also try downloading the Digital Garrison app to your smartphone and set “Fort McCoy” or another installation as your preferred base. Fort McCoy is also part of Army’s Installation Management Command where “We Are The Army’s Home.”