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Land Managers Report Mixed Fall 2003 Burn Season
Last year, the Lake County Forest Preserves (LCFP) reported their second-best fall burn season in ten years. Warm weather extended the ordinarily short season and staff safely burned 550 acres at 14 preserves. "Our fall burns benefited sites that were treated in the summer for invasive species and sites requiring seeding preparation for spring plants," reported restoration ecologist Ken Klick.
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| Agency |
Acres
Burned |
% of Natural
Acres Held |
| Cook FPD |
400 |
0.7 |
| DuPage FPD |
583 |
2.7 |
| Kane FPD |
100 |
1.0 |
| Kendall FPD |
030 |
5.4 |
| Lake FPD |
550 |
5.0 |
| McHenry FPD |
102 |
0.7 |
| Will FPD |
292 |
3.2 |
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At the same time, burning woodland sites was difficult throughout the region. Just as leaf litter began to dry out, it rained. In McHenry County, conditions remained cool and damp all season. "We didn't get the fire intensity that we wanted," commented Brad Woodson, an ecologist with the McHenry County Conservation District. "There was one wildfire in mid-November that burned about 100 acres of marsh, but that was the extent of our burn season."
In DuPage County, district staff was able to burn a number of sites, mostly grasslands. One rewarding day, five burn teams were out in five locations and the weather cooperated.
The key to land management and a successful burn season is resources, said Jim Anderson, LCFP natural resource manager. Ample burn teams need to be available when conditions are right. While Lake County had a good season, Anderson noted, "It is short of our goal of 1,200 acres per burn season or ten percent (2,400 acres) of total Forest Preserve holdings per year."
— Alison Carney Brown
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