Suburban Skyview: Prescribed burns help keep the prairie healthy

Smoke rose high in the sky as a prescribed burn was underway at Peck Farm in Geneva.

Very common in the spring and fall, prescribed burns are the way area forest preserves simulate what naturally happens to the native prairie, says Mandy Morgan, a certified prescribed burn manager with the Geneva Park District. The burns also help to get rid of the invasive nonnative plants that can damage the prairie.

The park district has a group employees who have gone through training to conduct the burns. They use a mix of diesel and gas to fuel the fires.

Great care is given to make sure the weather conditions are good for a successful burn and that the wind blows the smoke away from nearby homes.

Geneva has approximately 300 acres of prairie and they burn approximately 100 acres every 18 months.

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