food for the soul
SUMMER OF
FIRE & ICE CREAM A BLAZING SUCCESS
Wendell and Linda Ryan finish up the homemade ice cream. (Photo courtesy)
BY MARCELLA EPPERSON
S
ummer in Texas. Hot days and hot nights are the norm in Texas, so when we get to relax, we usually think of ways to make the temperatures more friendly – meandering floats on Hill Country rivers, icy beverages or lazy Sunday afternoons by a pool. But some Texans actually turn up the heat – on
purpose. In July, many growing season prescribed fires are implemented all across Texas. The benefits are many, including removing heavy loads of fuels (these heavy fuel loads are almost always the culprit when there is a catastrophic wildfire), and increasing forage and habitat quality for many native Texas species and livestock. Almost all of Texas is a fire-adapted ecosystem. Natural fire cycles helped to maintain the biodiversity of plant life and kept the forests and grasslands healthy by removing excessive brush and undergrowth. Unfortunately, fire was largely removed from this ecosystem when the 56 44
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THESUMMER SUMMERISSUE ISSUE 2021 THE
Europeans settled here. The result? Since the mid-1800s, brush and cedar slowly choked a landscape that was once a mosaic of broad vistas with native prairie tall grasses and intermittent areas of timber. Fortunately, fire management became accepted as a tool for land management and after years of preparation, we implemented our first prescribed fire on the ranch in July, 2017. The process leading up to the first prescribed fire was daunting. It took eight years of planning and another full year of land preparation, including the dozing of very wide firebreaks. Almost 30 volunteers from two prescribed burn associations assisted as we burned. The effects of our very first fire were immediate and exciting. The very first evening, quail – a fire dependent species – and their young were scurrying around the burned areas. Deer were everywhere and birds were singing their hearts out.
