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1 | SENATE 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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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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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 SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL | ||||||
5 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we declare April of | ||||||
6 | 2023 as "Prescribed Burning Awareness Month" in the State of | ||||||
7 | 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 | ||||||
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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