Braeburn Marsh Will Burn, Baby, Burn

A prescribed Burn is scheduled for Monday, April 29, for Braeburn Marsh on the west side of Randall Road between the Sam's Club & Wal-Mart, weather permitting.

Fire is used as a management tool in native ecosystems, such as this one, because it is a natural part of their existence that helps plants bloom earlier and long, produce more seed and generally thrive, the city of Batavia reports.

The contractor performing the prescribed burn is Applied Ecological Services. 

Fire is an integral part in the maintenance of a healthy native prairie, AES reports. Fires have maintained native prairies for thousands of years. By investing a large portion of their nutrients to an underground structure, prairie plants can endure most, if not all, prairie fi res. Weedy annuals have no such protection and can not cope with repeated fi res. Again, be patient; one initial fi re will not rid a prairie planting of all weeds.

Burning is most effective in early spring or late fall, AES says.

To learn more about restoration of a prairie and how burns promote growth at the subject site, visit http://appliedeco.com/Projects/PrairieRestorations.pdf.

SOURCES: City of Batavia, Applied Ecological Services