Full Text of HR0092 103rd General Assembly
HR0092 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Prescribed fire provides multiple ecological,
| 3 | | economic, and cultural benefits to the State of Illinois; and
| 4 | | WHEREAS, Prescribed fire has been practiced for thousands
| 5 | | of years and was a primary tool used by Indigenous peoples to
| 6 | | attract game, to stimulate a rich ground layer of plants for
| 7 | | harvesting, and to keep woodlands and grasslands open and easy | 8 | | to
traverse; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, Prescribed fire is a traditional land management
| 10 | | practice and public safety tool that helps prevent and lessen | 11 | | the severity of wildfires; and
| 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
| 19 | | WHEREAS, Prescribed fire is an effective natural tool for
| 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
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Prescribed fire is used to restore and maintain
| 7 | | fire-dependent ecosystems and to manage wildlife habitat for
| 8 | | many species; it is a vital tool to maintain economic,
| 9 | | biological, and aesthetic resources across Illinois; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, The Illinois Prescribed Fire Council is an
| 11 | | organization of both public and private partners with a
| 12 | | mission to promote the safe and continued use of prescribed | 13 | | fire on the Illinois landscape; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, The Illinois General Assembly passed the Illinois | 15 | | Prescribed Burning Act in 2007, defining prescribed fire as
| 16 | | "the planned application of fire to naturally occurring
| 17 | | vegetative fuels under specified environmental conditions and
| 18 | | following appropriate precautionary measures, which causes the | 19 | | fire to be confined to a predetermined area and accomplish the
| 20 | | planned land management objectives."; and
| 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
| 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
| 8 | | RESOLVED, That we support the appropriate and continued
| 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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