Full Text of SR0943 102nd General Assembly
SR0943 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE 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, stimulate a rich ground layer of plants for | 7 | | harvesting, and keep woodlands and grasslands open and easy to | 8 | | 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 forest | 13 | | landowners and managers in reducing
hazardous fuels, reducing | 14 | | the risk of destructive wildfires, preparing sites for both | 15 | | natural and artificial forest regeneration, improving access | 16 | | to and the appearance of land, and controlling detrimental | 17 | | insects and forest diseases; and | 18 | | WHEREAS, Prescribed fire is an effective natural tool for | 19 | | controlling invasive species; and | 20 | | WHEREAS, Prescribed fire is one of the most important land |
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| 1 | | management practices in maintaining and restoring healthy | 2 | | landscapes, but only approximately 6% of conservation lands in | 3 | | Illinois are currently being managed with prescribed fire; and | 4 | | WHEREAS, Prescribed fire is used to restore and maintain | 5 | | fire-dependent ecosystems and to manage
wildlife habitat for | 6 | | many species; it is a vital tool to maintain economic, | 7 | | biological, and aesthetic resources across Illinois; and | 8 | | WHEREAS, The Illinois Prescribed Fire Council is an | 9 | | organization of both public and private partners with a | 10 | | mission to promote the safe and continued use of prescribed | 11 | | fire on the Illinois landscape; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, The Illinois General Assembly passed the Illinois | 13 | | Prescribed Burning Act in 2007 defining prescribed fire as | 14 | | "the planned application of fire to naturally occurring | 15 | | vegetative fuels under specified environmental conditions and | 16 | | following appropriate precautionary measures, which causes the | 17 | | fire to be confined to a predetermined area and accomplish the | 18 | | planned land management objectives."; and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, Prescribed fire helps keep Illinois grasslands | 20 | | and forests healthy, which, in return, provides
ecological | 21 | | services such as clean air and clean water and contributes to | 22 | | the quality of life of the State's
citizens and to local |
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| 1 | | economies; therefore, be it
| 2 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL | 3 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we declare April | 4 | | 11-15, 2022 as "Prescribed Burning Awareness Week" in the | 5 | | State of Illinois; and be it further | 6 | | RESOLVED, That we support the appropriate and continued | 7 | | use of prescribed fire in Illinois; and be it further
| 8 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 9 | | presented to the Illinois Prescribed Fire Council as a symbol | 10 | | of our respect and esteem.
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