News of the Wild

Hot, Fast Spring Burn Season

For about five weeks this spring, where grasses were dry and winds were favorable, crews busily performed controlled burns in forest preserve (listed in chart), private, and municipal holdings of all sizes.

“We got pretty much all of our wetlands and prairies,” reported Jason Pettit, executive director of the Forest Preserve District of Kendall County, “and we even burned a few woodland areas that we haven’t been able to get to the past several falls.”

At the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum in the heart of Lincoln Park, more than 90 percent of the restored prairie and savanna — which surrounds the museum building — carried fire. New equipment and just the right winds allowed The Nature Conservancy to burn a total of 30 more difficult acres at the Indian Boundary Prairies.

Dry weather and remarkable community support combined to help achieve the Park District of Highland Park’s goal to burn 10 percent of their natural areas. “A lot of buckthorn bit the dust,” noted Rebecca Grill, natural areas coordinator. “We are very excited about watching the oak woods in Sunset Park become as much a showcase as the playgrounds and ballfields.”

— Alison Carney Brown