Prescribed Fire: Restoring Our Prairies

Prescribed burning is a scientifically backed management tool used to promote healthier, more vigorous woodlands and grasslands. It is the single most important tool in our toolbox for habitat restoration and management. By reintroducing fire into the ecosystem, we reduce hazardous fuel loads, improve soil nutrient recharge, and ensure our native landscapes remain resilient for generations to come.

Safety and Professional Standards

Every prescribed burn is a highly controlled operation. We prioritize the safety of the community and our crew through rigorous protocols:

• Certified Expertise: Our burn boss is an Illinois state certified prescribed burn manager. Many of our staff are Illinois Fire Service Institute (IFSI) trained and certified. They play a key role in safely conducting prescribed fires and possess the technical training required to manage complex burn environments.
• Inter-Agency Coordination: We notify all local agencies before our burn season begins. This includes local township, police, sanitary, fire, public works, and the sheriff’s office. On the day of a burn, we will notify METCAD and Champaign Fire before ignition and again once everything is extinguished and the burn is complete.
• Strategic Containment: All burns are conducted within strict boundaries, utilizing professional fire breaks, and atmospheric conditions in order to minimize the chance for fire escaping the target areas. Burn teams are in constant contact with each other via walkie-talkies and follow a chain of command while helping with prescribed burns.
• On-site Public Safety: We place barricades and signage near parking lots and pathways to notify the public on the day of a prescribed burn. Staff are continuously monitoring foot traffic to ensure that the public is safe while observing the fire.

The Ecological Benefits of Fire

Fire is a natural “reset” for our ecosystem. Without it, invasive species and dead debris can choke out native life. Controlled burning provides many benefits to habitat restorations:

1. Fuel Reduction: By clearing out dead vegetation and organic fuel loads, we significantly lower the risk of dangerous, uncontrolled wildfires. Burning off the dead vegetation also allows spring sunlight to warm up the soil earlier in the season. This promotes early perennial plant species growth which will help our native species. 
2. Invasive Species Management: Fire kills or restricts the growth of many non-native plants, allowing native species—which are evolutionarily adapted to fire—to reclaim their competitive advantage. Burned areas allow us to locate and manage invasive species easier due to short vegetation height during the early growing season.
3. Nutrient Recycling: The burning process breaks down organic matter, rapidly recycling vital nutrients back into the soil to fuel new growth.
4. Native Seed Germination: Many of our native prairie species rely on fire for germination. The mixture of cold winters, and intense fire helps with seed stratification, or breaking through seed dormancy.

Timing and Seasonal Recovery

We typically schedule burns during the fall and spring seasons. This window is chosen specifically because plants are dormant and birds, herps, and other small prairie inhabitants are not yet nesting or coming out of their winter homes. By timing our burns this way, we minimize the impact on the local fauna.

The recovery after a burn is remarkably fast. Because many native trees are fire-resistant, they often grow more vigorously after a burn. Perennial plants emerge refreshed from their deep root systems, resulting in a lush, green landscape within weeks.

Even with the quick recovery time, we avoid burning more than 50% of the nature space within a park targeted to receive a prescribed burn. We leave behind plenty of unburned space for the local fauna to retreat to while the rest of the park is recovering from seeing fire.

Wildlife Protection and Habitat

Limiting Negative Fauna Impact: Wildlife is rarely endangered by prescribed burns. Most animals have natural instincts that keep them safe:

• Small animals (rodents and snakes) retreat into deep burrows.
• Birds fly to safety in adjacent trees.
• Large mammals move out of the area temporarily.

Staff and volunteers walk through burn areas early in the morning before applying fire in order to stir up the active wildlife. We also walk the perimeter of most burn units to remove any plastic and Styrofoam debris.

The Long-Term Payoff: Within two to three years of a burn, the area sees a dramatic increase in seed and fruit production. This provides a significantly larger and more nutritious food supply for wildlife than the overgrown area provided previously. Prescribed fire in restorations aid in strengthening a restoration’s web of life. It promotes biodiversity through knocking back aggressive invasive species while also increasing native plant species’ germination.