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Development of technologies and methods for the application of prescribed fire for the management of Calluna vulgaris heathlands contaminated by unexploded ordnance (UXO): Problems and first experiences gained in a research and development project in Germany

Active and abandoned military training areas in Germany, some of them in use for more than a century, have been subjected to mechanical disturbances as consequence of movements of military vehicles and tanks, and the direct and indirect impacts of artillery shooting and bombing exercises, often associated with wildfires started by explosive ordnance. These training areas provide habitats and refugia for endangered species and open land ecosystems. Abandoned or reduced disturbances by military training have resulted in plant succession towards forest formation, resulting in losses of habitats for endangered species dependent on open land ecosystems, notably the Calluna vulgaris heathlands. In some areas the desired effects of meanwhile abandoned military activities and wildfires are substituted by targeted grazing, mechanical treatment or prescribed fire. However, within Germany a total area in the magnitude of tentatively 250,000 ha of high conservation value is contaminated with unexploded ordnance (UXO). While grazing alone cannot maintain openness in all cases, mechanical treatment and prescribed burning cannot always be considered as complementary measures due to the threat of UXO explosions. A concept and technologies have been developed in a R&D project in the Heidehof-Golmberg conservation area, an abandoned military training area in Brandenburg State, Germany, to safely apply prescribed fire by using converted military tanks as armored prescribed fire ignition vehicle and fire suppression apparatus. Prescribed burning operations are supported by unmanned aerial systems (UAS) for monitoring progress and decision support. The first experimental burns have been conducted in 2012 and 2013, followed by practical application, including wildfire suppression on UXO-contaminated terrain, between 2013 and 2015.