Photo Essay: 2022 prescribed burn season operations at Fort McCoy

By Scott SturkolApril 24, 2022

2022 prescribed burn season operations at Fort McCoy
1 / 13 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Team members oversee a prescribed burn March 28, 2022, on South Post at Fort McCoy, Wis. The post prescribed burn team includes personnel with the Fort McCoy Directorate of Emergency Services Fire Department; Directorate of Public Works (DPW) Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch; Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security; and the Colorado State University Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands, under a cooperative agreement with the post. Prescribed burns also 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 we can use on a large scale to improve our wild habitat, said Fort McCoy Forester Charles Mentzel with the Directorate of Public Works Natural Resources Branch. Mentzel said 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. (Photo by Scott Sturkol, Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office) (Photo Credit: Scott Sturkol) VIEW ORIGINAL
2022 prescribed burn season operations at Fort McCoy
2 / 13 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Team members oversee a prescribed burn March 28, 2022, on South Post at Fort McCoy, Wis. The post prescribed burn team includes personnel with the Fort McCoy Directorate of Emergency Services Fire Department; Directorate of Public Works (DPW) Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch; Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security; and the Colorado State University Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands, under a cooperative agreement with the post. Prescribed burns also 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 we can use on a large scale to improve our wild habitat, said Fort McCoy Forester Charles Mentzel with the Directorate of Public Works Natural Resources Branch. Mentzel said 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. (Photo by Scott Sturkol, Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office) (Photo Credit: Scott Sturkol) VIEW ORIGINAL
2022 prescribed burn season operations at Fort McCoy
3 / 13 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Team members oversee a prescribed burn March 28, 2022, on South Post at Fort McCoy, Wis. The post prescribed burn team includes personnel with the Fort McCoy Directorate of Emergency Services Fire Department; Directorate of Public Works (DPW) Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch; Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security; and the Colorado State University Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands, under a cooperative agreement with the post. Prescribed burns also 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 we can use on a large scale to improve our wild habitat, said Fort McCoy Forester Charles Mentzel with the Directorate of Public Works Natural Resources Branch. Mentzel said 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. (Photo by Scott Sturkol, Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office) (Photo Credit: Scott Sturkol) VIEW ORIGINAL
2022 prescribed burn season operations at Fort McCoy
4 / 13 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Team members oversee a prescribed burn March 28, 2022, on South Post at Fort McCoy, Wis. The post prescribed burn team includes personnel with the Fort McCoy Directorate of Emergency Services Fire Department; Directorate of Public Works (DPW) Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch; Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security; and the Colorado State University Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands, under a cooperative agreement with the post. Prescribed burns also 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 we can use on a large scale to improve our wild habitat, said Fort McCoy Forester Charles Mentzel with the Directorate of Public Works Natural Resources Branch. Mentzel said 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. (Photo by Scott Sturkol, Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office) (Photo Credit: Scott Sturkol) VIEW ORIGINAL
2022 prescribed burn season operations at Fort McCoy
5 / 13 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Team members oversee a prescribed burn March 28, 2022, on South Post at Fort McCoy, Wis. The post prescribed burn team includes personnel with the Fort McCoy Directorate of Emergency Services Fire Department; Directorate of Public Works (DPW) Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch; Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security; and the Colorado State University Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands, under a cooperative agreement with the post. Prescribed burns also 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 we can use on a large scale to improve our wild habitat, said Fort McCoy Forester Charles Mentzel with the Directorate of Public Works Natural Resources Branch. Mentzel said 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. (Photo by Scott Sturkol, Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office) (Photo Credit: Scott Sturkol) VIEW ORIGINAL
2022 prescribed burn season operations at Fort McCoy
6 / 13 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Team members oversee a prescribed burn March 28, 2022, on South Post at Fort McCoy, Wis. The post prescribed burn team includes personnel with the Fort McCoy Directorate of Emergency Services Fire Department; Directorate of Public Works (DPW) Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch; Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security; and the Colorado State University Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands, under a cooperative agreement with the post. Prescribed burns also 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 we can use on a large scale to improve our wild habitat, said Fort McCoy Forester Charles Mentzel with the Directorate of Public Works Natural Resources Branch. Mentzel said 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. (Photo by Scott Sturkol, Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office) (Photo Credit: Scott Sturkol) VIEW ORIGINAL
2022 prescribed burn season operations at Fort McCoy
7 / 13 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Team members oversee a prescribed burn March 28, 2022, on South Post at Fort McCoy, Wis. The post prescribed burn team includes personnel with the Fort McCoy Directorate of Emergency Services Fire Department; Directorate of Public Works (DPW) Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch; Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security; and the Colorado State University Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands, under a cooperative agreement with the post. Prescribed burns also 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 we can use on a large scale to improve our wild habitat, said Fort McCoy Forester Charles Mentzel with the Directorate of Public Works Natural Resources Branch. Mentzel said 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. (Photo by Scott Sturkol, Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office) (Photo Credit: Scott Sturkol) VIEW ORIGINAL
2022 prescribed burn season operations at Fort McCoy
8 / 13 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Team members oversee a prescribed burn March 28, 2022, on South Post at Fort McCoy, Wis. The post prescribed burn team includes personnel with the Fort McCoy Directorate of Emergency Services Fire Department; Directorate of Public Works (DPW) Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch; Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security; and the Colorado State University Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands, under a cooperative agreement with the post. Prescribed burns also 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 we can use on a large scale to improve our wild habitat, said Fort McCoy Forester Charles Mentzel with the Directorate of Public Works Natural Resources Branch. Mentzel said 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. (Photo by Scott Sturkol, Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office) (Photo Credit: Scott Sturkol) VIEW ORIGINAL
2022 prescribed burn season operations at Fort McCoy
9 / 13 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Team members oversee a prescribed burn March 28, 2022, on South Post at Fort McCoy, Wis. The post prescribed burn team includes personnel with the Fort McCoy Directorate of Emergency Services Fire Department; Directorate of Public Works (DPW) Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch; Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security; and the Colorado State University Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands, under a cooperative agreement with the post. Prescribed burns also 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 we can use on a large scale to improve our wild habitat, said Fort McCoy Forester Charles Mentzel with the Directorate of Public Works Natural Resources Branch. Mentzel said 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. (Photo by Scott Sturkol, Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office) (Photo Credit: Scott Sturkol) VIEW ORIGINAL
2022 prescribed burn season operations at Fort McCoy
10 / 13 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Team members oversee a prescribed burn March 28, 2022, on South Post at Fort McCoy, Wis. The post prescribed burn team includes personnel with the Fort McCoy Directorate of Emergency Services Fire Department; Directorate of Public Works (DPW) Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch; Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security; and the Colorado State University Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands, under a cooperative agreement with the post. Prescribed burns also 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 we can use on a large scale to improve our wild habitat, said Fort McCoy Forester Charles Mentzel with the Directorate of Public Works Natural Resources Branch. Mentzel said 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. (Photo by Scott Sturkol, Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office) (Photo Credit: Scott Sturkol) VIEW ORIGINAL
2022 prescribed burn season operations at Fort McCoy
11 / 13 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Team members oversee a prescribed burn March 28, 2022, on South Post at Fort McCoy, Wis. The post prescribed burn team includes personnel with the Fort McCoy Directorate of Emergency Services Fire Department; Directorate of Public Works (DPW) Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch; Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security; and the Colorado State University Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands, under a cooperative agreement with the post. Prescribed burns also 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 we can use on a large scale to improve our wild habitat, said Fort McCoy Forester Charles Mentzel with the Directorate of Public Works Natural Resources Branch. Mentzel said 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. (Photo by Scott Sturkol, Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office) (Photo Credit: Scott Sturkol) VIEW ORIGINAL
2022 prescribed burn season operations at Fort McCoy
12 / 13 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Team members oversee a prescribed burn March 28, 2022, on South Post at Fort McCoy, Wis. The post prescribed burn team includes personnel with the Fort McCoy Directorate of Emergency Services Fire Department; Directorate of Public Works (DPW) Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch; Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security; and the Colorado State University Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands, under a cooperative agreement with the post. Prescribed burns also 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 we can use on a large scale to improve our wild habitat, said Fort McCoy Forester Charles Mentzel with the Directorate of Public Works Natural Resources Branch. Mentzel said 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. (Photo by Scott Sturkol, Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office) (Photo Credit: Scott Sturkol) VIEW ORIGINAL
2022 prescribed burn season operations at Fort McCoy
13 / 13 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Team members oversee a prescribed burn March 28, 2022, on South Post at Fort McCoy, Wis. The post prescribed burn team includes personnel with the Fort McCoy Directorate of Emergency Services Fire Department; Directorate of Public Works (DPW) Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch; Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security; and the Colorado State University Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands, under a cooperative agreement with the post. Prescribed burns also 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 we can use on a large scale to improve our wild habitat, said Fort McCoy Forester Charles Mentzel with the Directorate of Public Works Natural Resources Branch. Mentzel said 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. (Photo by Scott Sturkol, Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office) (Photo Credit: Scott Sturkol) VIEW ORIGINAL

Team members oversee a prescribed burn March 28, 2022, on South Post at Fort McCoy, Wis.

The post prescribed burn team includes personnel with the Fort McCoy Directorate of Emergency Services Fire Department; Directorate of Public Works (DPW) Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch; Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security; and the Colorado State University Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands, under a cooperative agreement with the post.

Prescribed burns also 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 we can use on a large scale to improve our wild habitat, said Fort McCoy Forester Charles Mentzel with the Directorate of Public Works Natural Resources Branch.

Mentzel said 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.

Fort McCoy’s motto is to be the “Total Force Training Center.” Located in the heart of the upper Midwest, Fort McCoy is the only U.S. Army installation in Wisconsin.

The installation has provided support and facilities for the field and classroom training of more than 100,000 military personnel from all services nearly every year since 1984.

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.