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| | HR0092 | | LRB103 31140 ECR 57860 r |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | | WHEREAS, Prescribed fire provides multiple ecological,
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| 3 | | economic, and cultural benefits to the State of Illinois; and
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| 4 | | WHEREAS, Prescribed fire has been practiced for thousands
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| 5 | | of years and was a primary tool used by Indigenous peoples to
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| 6 | | attract game, to stimulate a rich ground layer of plants for
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| 7 | | harvesting, and to keep woodlands and grasslands open and easy |
| 8 | | to
traverse; and
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| 9 | | WHEREAS, Prescribed fire is a traditional land management
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| 10 | | practice and public safety tool that helps prevent and lessen |
| 11 | | the severity of wildfires; and
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| 12 | | WHEREAS, Prescribed fire is a valuable tool used by |
| 13 | | forest,
prairie, and wetland landowners and managers in |
| 14 | | reducing
hazardous fuels, reducing the risk of destructive |
| 15 | | wildfires, preparing sites for both natural and artificial |
| 16 | | forest regeneration, improving access to and the appearance of |
| 17 | | land, and controlling detrimental insects and forest diseases; |
| 18 | | and
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| 19 | | WHEREAS, Prescribed fire is an effective natural tool for
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| 20 | | controlling invasive species; and
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| | HR0092 | - 2 - | LRB103 31140 ECR 57860 r |
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Prescribed fire is one of the most important land |
| 2 | | management practices in maintaining and restoring healthy |
| 3 | | landscapes, but only approximately six percent of conservation |
| 4 | | lands in Illinois are currently being managed with prescribed |
| 5 | | fire; and
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| 6 | | WHEREAS, Prescribed fire is used to restore and maintain
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| 7 | | fire-dependent ecosystems and to manage wildlife habitat for
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| 8 | | many species; it is a vital tool to maintain economic,
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| 9 | | biological, and aesthetic resources across Illinois; and
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| 10 | | WHEREAS, The Illinois Prescribed Fire Council is an
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| 11 | | organization of both public and private partners with a
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| 12 | | mission to promote the safe and continued use of prescribed |
| 13 | | fire on the Illinois landscape; and
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| 14 | | WHEREAS, The Illinois General Assembly passed the Illinois |
| 15 | | Prescribed Burning Act in 2007, defining prescribed fire as
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| 16 | | "the planned application of fire to naturally occurring
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| 17 | | vegetative fuels under specified environmental conditions and
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| 18 | | following appropriate precautionary measures, which causes the |
| 19 | | fire to be confined to a predetermined area and accomplish the
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| 20 | | planned land management objectives."; and
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| 21 | | WHEREAS, Prescribed fire helps keep Illinois grasslands |
| 22 | | and forests healthy, which, in return, provides ecological
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| | HR0092 | - 3 - | LRB103 31140 ECR 57860 r |
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| 1 | | services such as clean air and clean water and contributes to |
| 2 | | the quality of life of the State's
citizens and to local |
| 3 | | economies; therefore, be it
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| 4 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE |
| 5 | | HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that |
| 6 | | we declare April of 2023 as "Prescribed Burning Awareness |
| 7 | | Month" in the State of Illinois; and be it further
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| 8 | | RESOLVED, That we support the appropriate and continued
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| 9 | | use of prescribed fire in Illinois; and be it further
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| 10 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be |
| 11 | | presented to the Illinois Prescribed Fire Council as a symbol |
| 12 | | of our respect and esteem.
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