Forest preserve district prepares for prescription burns

Specially trained crews from the DuPage Forest Preserve District will conduct prescription burns in the coming weeks at selected sites in the county's preserves.

The burns are considered an effective natural resource management tool for restoring native prairies, wetlands and woodlands.

Prescription burns generally take place in the early spring, before new vegetation emerges, and in late fall, after the season's vegetation has died.

The forest preserve district's first deliberately set, controlled burn was conducted at Churchill Woods in Glen Ellyn in the mid-1970s.

Conducting prescription burns depends on the weather and other factors, so the district cannot schedule them in advance. Residents who live near planned burn locations receive notices in the mail and, on the morning of a burn, crews post signs and contact local fire departments.

Specially trained crews remain on-site throughout the process, which takes place only during daylight hours. If these factors are not present, the public should call 911 because they may be witnessing a wildfire.

"Fire is an important tool in our restoration toolbox," said Erik Neidy, the district's director of natural resources. "Prescription burns help us control invasive, exotic plants so desirable native species with deep root systems can thrive."

Prescription burns are not to be confused with the catastrophic, uncontrolled wildfires that occur in the dense, coniferous forests of the West, where an overabundance of flammable materials often enables fires to burn at extremely high temperatures and spread uncontrollably from treetop to treetop.

"Our oak and hickory woodlands in the Midwest do not provide the same type of fuel to cause the wildfires we see in the news," Neidy said.

"Prairies and forests used to burn regularly and were essential to the American landscape before the land was developed with homes and farms. We are bringing fire back to safely recreate what nature once did on its own."

To learn more about prescription burns, watch "Why We Burn" and "How We Burn" videos, or visit the district's prescription burn webpage.