Suburban Skyview: A control burn in forest preserves are commonplace this time of year

A burn boss runs the show directing others in his Northwest resource management crew to combat invasive species of plants at the Grassy Ridge Meadow in the Paul Douglas & Crabtree Preserve trail system near Hoffman Estates.

The controlled fire wakes up the native seed bank and native vegetation and offers a little kick to the ecosystem to get things started for the new year ahead.

"We base things on conditions. Weather is a huge component. It's not just fire management but also smoke management, where are we going to send the smoke and who we are going to impact," said Elliot Medina, assistant resource operations manager in the Forest Preserve District of Cook County. "Today we have a southwest wind so we're looking to blow the smoke across the biggest part of the preserve and not across roads or houses."

"Safety is key in one of these operations, not just for the public but also for our crew."

Medina said setting fires is "a unique type of job that not everyone gets to do."

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