Ever been to one of the city’s parks where the ground is blackened and ashy? If so, you’ve seen the aftermath of a prescribed ecological burn, part of the parks’ maintenance and restoration program since 1994.
This year’s spring burn season started at the end of February and ends on the last Friday of May. There is another burn season in the fall.
The city posts a wealth of information on its website, a2gov.org (search for “controlled burn”). But because burns are weather dependent, it can’t publish a detailed schedule of dates and places in advance. Park neighbors can contact the Natural Area Preservation division at 794-6627 or NAP@a2gov.org to be notified before burns take place. All warning signage should be heeded and burns observed from a safe distance.
“Many people interpret the message of Smokey the Bear as meaning all fires are bad,” says NAP manager David Borneman, “and that is not the case. Fire is an important component of many of our native ecosystems.”
Because Native Americans regularly set fire to grasslands, most native plants in our area evolved to be fire tolerant; most invasive species are not. That makes prescribed burns a favored tool for restoring native habitats.
NAP’s website states that animal habitat, too, is generally improved by controlled burns. The heat generated extends only about a half an inch into the ground and does not affect burrowing animals, and because burns are conducted in early spring or late fall, ground-nesting birds and insects are rarely affected. If a nest is discovered, the habitat is left alone–at Buhr Park this year, evidence of ground bees was discovered and the area left untouched.
How well controlled are the city’s burns? NAP takes into account such factors as humidity, wind direction, terrain, and the nature of the materials being burned, and Borneman says the workers have never had a fire get away from them. Even if a fire jumps a burn break, a member of the crew is on hand to put it out. At least one crew member stays with each fire until all smoldering has stopped.
Burn crews are made up of trained volunteers and employees supervised by a “burn boss.” It is a demanding job–the backpack sprayers worn by some of the crew hold five gallons of water and weigh around forty pounds. A good hike may be required to reach some of the burn targets.
At Buhr Park, the crew burned right up to the backyards of a row of houses bordering the park, but the smoke stayed away from the houses. This was not a matter of luck, but of technique. If the wind had been blowing toward the houses, the crew would not have burned. Smoke from the burns usually dissipates quickly, and wildflowers and other native plants start growing.
