Ignition Helicopter Landing

The ignition helicopter comes in for a landing during the April 2025 NASA FireSense-led research campaign at Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield in Georgia. Skilled pilots fly low over the forest, while firefighting personnel drop special ignition spheres out of the aircraft to ensure the blaze spreads evenly and safely. These prescribed burns are ecologically necessary for the plants and animals in the longleaf pine ecosystem, and reduce fuels that could be accidentally ignited due to lighting strikes or military training operations.