TPW TV—PRESCRIBED FIRE:  How fire is used to enhance life 
at the Matador Wildlife Management Area…details coming 
up on Passport to Texas

This is Passport to Texas (April 7)

The Matador Wildlife Management Area offers vistas of 
colorful rolling plains and canyons. Texas Parks and 
Wildlife maintains the beauty and balance of this 28-
thousand acre natural landscape with the regular use of 
an ancient tool. 

13—Right now they are preparing to light a test fire. It gives us a pretty 
good indication of what the fire behavior is going to be like. And since 
it’s a test, if it doesn’t work out, we can put the fire out and go for it 
another day.

Chris Schenck is part of TPW’s prescribed fire crew. A 
segment about prescribed fire airs next week on the TPW 
TV series on PBS. Team member, Derreck Holdsctock, says 
fire is an important, natural process.

13—Whenever you don’t have fire brush encroaches. The more 
brush there is, the higher the fire danger is going to be during a 
dry year. So the more fire you put on the ground the less the 
effects of a wildfire will be and the more controllable it will be.

Prescribed fire has many jobs. It knocks back invasive 
plants, returns nutrients to the soil, and promotes native 
species, creating a balance of cover and forage for 
wildlife.

17—Every time we do a fire I feel like we’re taking a big chunk 
out of our management of that area. And then when you come 
back three months later and you have all this tall grass and you 
have all the wildflowers out there, it just kind of brings it all 
together and you realize what you’ve accomplished.

Catch the segment on Prescribed Fires next week on the 
TPW TV series on PBS. Check your local listings. The WR 
Program supports our series.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.


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