'Prescribed Fires' Begin This Weekend at Appleton Farms

A series of prescribed fires are planned for weekends this fall at Grass Rides, beginning this Saturday.

About three to four acres will be burned each time at the Grass Rides, off Highland Street and Cutler Road in Hamilton. The technique that is used will mean that one acre will burn at a time to minimizing smoke and the threat to public safety and property from the possibly of a larger, uncontrolled wildfire, Trustees said in a press release issued this week announcing the prescribed fires.

The Trustees of the Reservation, which owns Appleton Farms, along with the and state Department of Conservation and Recreation Bureau of Fire Control will conduct the fires on weekends, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., until the weather is no longer conducive to burning, according to Russell Hopping, the Trustees’ ecology program director.

The goal of the fire will be to reduce wildfire hazards and restore rare habitat. The fires are designed to reduce “fuel load,” such as leaves, dead wood and plants that can burn. In addition, it provides a training opportunity for Hamilton firefighters.

The fuel load will be reduced in a controlled way with the safety of the public, firefighters and neighboring properties in mind, the Trustees said.

The fire will also help “fire-adapted plants” return, including some that are state-listed rare species. The prescribed fires are lit under specific weather conditions by trained personnel that allow equipment and firefighters to set up in advance and allow them to “greatly control the fire’s behavior for the best possible outcome,” according to the Trustees.

For more information, please contact The Trustees of Reservations at 978-921-1944.