Roosevelt University's prairie burn at Schaumburg allows for lush plant growth

Three years after establishing a prairie ecosystem at its suburban campus, Roosevelt University is poised for healthy and substantial growth of more than 50 kinds of native plants on its Schaumburg campus grounds this spring.

"We are about to enter a phase in which our prairie at the Schaumburg campus will be exhibiting signs of maturity. It's an exciting step forward in our sustainability efforts," said Paul Matthews, assistant vice president for campus planning and operations at Roosevelt University.

Expected lush growth of prairie plantings at Roosevelt's Schaumburg Campus comes on the heels of an April 15 prescribed and contained fire that burned nearly 15 acres of campus land.

"With this burn, we will be able to recycle nutrients to our native plants and get rid of many non-desirable plants including Canadian Thistle," said Tom Shelton, who coordinated last week's spectacular prairie burn that was witnessed by many in and around campus grounds.

"We completed the work section by section making sure to fuel the fire in the opposite direction that the wind was blowing. As a result we now have a terrain that is prepared to host healthy growth of more than 50 varieties of native vegetation," said Shelton.

Planned as an annual affair, the spring prairie burn opens the door for yearlong stewardship at the Schaumburg Campus, including getting rid of noxious weeds that have posed a threat in years past to the University prairie.

"We'll be eliminating a lot of weeds out there and as result we expect that the native plants will be getting noticeably thicker," said Bill Bedrossian, owner of Bedrock Earthscapes and a registered landscape architect who has been working with the University since 2012 to develop the University's suburban prairie.

He predicted major growth of native plants this season, as well as newfound maturity for the prairie which is expected to be burned annually in order to further stimulate growth and maturity.

Land stewardship as well as native plantings by volunteers will be taking place this spring at the Schaumburg Campus in conjunction with the planting of a food forest of 13 fruit trees at the north central edge of the campus near community garden plots on Arbor Day, which is Friday, April 24.