City of Ankeny Planning Controlled Burns at Prairie Ridge Sports Complex

From a city of Ankeny media release:

The city of Ankeny is planning controlled burns on the biocell located in the parking lot at Prairie Ridge Sports Complex between Dec. 5 and Dec. 28, depending on weather conditions.

Residents who live within a 1,000-foot radius of the burn areas have been or will be notified via letter posted on their front door.

It is expected that the area will take less than an few hours to burn. The burns have to be completed when there is less than 10 mph wind in order to keep smoke from traveling far. The burns also take place between sunrise and sunset.

The Ankeny Fire Department, Polk County dispatch, and Polk County Air Quality have been notified of the planned burns in advance and will be notified on the morning of expected activities.

Why have controlled burns?

Controlled burns are administered to keep weeds from taking over new prairie plantings and keep aggressive trees, like willows, from dominating prairie plantings. In existing prairie plantings, the controlled burn removes dead vegetation and controls aggressive species.

As the weather warms in the spring, cool season grasses shoot up, like the bluegrass in many lawns. The grasses grow tall and shade out some of the native plants that grow as the weather becomes warmer.

The controlled burn allows native plants to get plenty of sunshine to establish and grow. Controlled burns also reduce the amount of dead and decaying plant material and allow the nutrients in the material to be used by growing plants.

Central Iowa’s landscape was once dominated by tall grass prairies. These ecosystems have an abundance of plants, insects, birds, mammals, and reptiles. The native grasses and forbs (flowers) also provide seed and nectar for insects, butterflies, birds, and small mammals.

Without fire, these prairie areas become overrun with invasive species, and eventually degrade to the point where they have very little wildlife habitat qualities left. Unburned vegetation leaves a mantle of dead and decaying vegetation. This stifles the growth of the native plants and deprives plants of space and light. The burn also helps release the nutrients in the dead vegetation so it can be used by the new growth. The blackened soil heats up fast by absorbing solar energy, thus stimulating speedy seed germination, sprouting, and growth. But to get these benefits, fire must occur to restore the prairies and savannas.

Weather conditions and safety considerations will determine the exact date and time of the fire.