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Prescribed burns: Beneficial fires spark nature's beauty

Smokey Bear always warned us - don't play with fire!

But 'ol Smokey approves of prescribed burns. Contrary to destructive wildfires, these are purposely planned and serve to enhance woodlands, prairies and park areas.

The Fox Valley Park District has utilized this beneficial land management practice for more than 20 years, and crews are out again this fall and early winter using the power of fire to restore health and vitality around various local parks and natural areas.

While the sight of ferocious orange flames might look alarming, it will warm you to know these fires provide wondrous natural benefits. Carefully planned by certified professionals - with the utmost attention to safety - prescribed burns reduce invasive and undesirable "invaders." This, in turn, stimulates growth of native species that make for healthier forests and prairies.

The park district's program encompasses dozens of potential sites. Burns are performed on a rotating basis about every three years in early spring and late fall. High-profile sites on the current priority list include Lippold Park, Stuart Sports Complex and Waubonsie Lake Park.

The park district makes public announcements via its website and Facebook/Twitter before these burns take place. Many variables are considered, such as dryness of vegetation, wind speed, etc., so burns are conducted as conditions permit, making it difficult to pinpoint an exact time in advance.

Without the use of periodic controlled burns, natural areas would become less diverse ecosystems, crowded with dense overgrowth and littered with dead plant material. Fire removes this layer of vegetation that stifles growth and deprives plants of space and light.

The blackened carpet of charred remains and black ash that's left after a prescribed burn is soon bursting with new life and rich color. What looks like scorched earth is actually a rich canvas where plant communities and animal habitats will thrive.

Once excessive brush is burned off, the area is regenerated. Shallow-rooted, noxious weeds such as thistle, sweet clover and garlic mustard that grow aggressively are greatly reduced, allowing native wildflowers and plants to gain the upper hand. Fire also stimulates plant seeds to germinate.

The remnant ashes are chock-full of nutrients from the burned vegetation, which greatly aids in new growth. When burns are done in the spring, the blackened layer atop the soil becomes a magnet for sunlight, which further stimulates speedy germination, sprouting and growth.

As the burned and blackened areas begin to rejuvenate, the song birds, butterflies and wildlife throw their version of a party. Park users may well join them in celebration, for these areas are happier and healthier as a result.

"Fire is one of nature's essential agents of change," said Natural Areas Specialist Cathy Daul, a certified prescribed burn manager through the IDNR.

"Prescribed burns help the process along by restoring plant and wildlife diversity and enhancing natural settings."

Where there's smoke, there's fire. But if it's a prescribed burn, rest assured that new life will soon leap from those smoldering ashes.

For an in-depth Q&A on the Park District's prescribed burns program, visit http://www.foxvalleyparkdistrict.org/natural-area-management/.

• Jeff Long is the public relations manager for the Fox Valley Park District.

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