News

Fall Burn Season Soggy

As leaves fell in the woodlands last fall, so did the rain. Wet conditions limited the window for conducting controlled burns to a mere four days in some parts of the region.

When the temperature, wind, and humidity were right in McHenry County, the drier prairie communities burned best. At Nelson Lake Marsh in Kane County, the water level was surprisingly low and fire carried well through the cattails. “We burned on two separate days, a week and a half apart, to get the entire 180-acre site burned,” reported Jason Johnson, forest preserve district restoration technician. “It burned more completely than I’ve seen it burn in quite a while.” (See Burn & Rebirth for more.)

Dave Mauger, Will County Forest Preserve District land management program coordinator, credits volunteers for a successful fall burn season, despite the generally poor weather. On nine days burn conditions were right and volunteer teams were ready to go. They completed burns at seven preserves and 13 management units.

— Alison Carney Brown