FIRE

Ecological Background: Fire is part of the natural world, but since humans learned to use fire they have been the primary cause of fires. Fuel for fire in natural areas is normally dead vegetation, so grassland fires occur most frequently in the dormant season. Woody stems have living tissue above the ground which can be killed by the heat of a fire. Bark insulates the living tissue from the heat. Thicker bark means less, hotter fires more damage to trunks of woody species. After an area burns it can’t burn again until there is new fuel. Illinois prairies had little woody vegetation and had high fire frequencies. When permanent buildings became part of the landscape people worked harder at putting out fires to protect their buildings. Fire suppression has resulted in increases in the number and size of stems of trees and shrubs.

Why burn James Woodworth Prairie (JWP)? Burning was part of the environment in which prairies evolved. We burn JWP to reproduce the environment that the native plants and animals are adapted to.

What is the spatial pattern of prescribed burns? Prescribed burns always leave part of the prairie unburnt. Our goal is to do a burn in the fall and another in the spring. We change the boundaries at each burn to have a mosaic of places ranging from spots burned 5 times to spots never burned in five years. Our motto is: management diversity maximizes biological diversity. As the north and south boundaries don’t burn as well we have tried to burn those areas more often.

When will the prairie be burnt? Above ground vegetation is mostly dead after the first frost. It takes 2 or 3 years for it to be consumed if it is not burnt up. JWP tries to burn a patch in the fall (usually early NOV) and another in the spring (late MAR or early APR). Prescribed fires are conducted between the hours of 11 AM and 2 PM. Because the grass fuel, smoke is generated only during the burn (i.e. there is no smoldering of logs).

What about safety? Fire is a powerful force. JWP respects fire. Prescribed burning includes plans about crew size and weather conditions in which fire can be controlled more readily. Firebreaks are cut to make the fire easier to control. Permits are obtained from the Illinois EPA. We notify the Fire Department that we will be burning. Burning has been conducted by the JWP staff since 1972. We understand that damage to property could prevent future burns and we are doing our utmost to prevent injuries and damage to property.

If neighbors would like individual notification about planned burns please contact the Director at the phone number or email address below.

The Director of the Woodworth Prairie is:

Prof. Dennis Nyberg 312.996.2643 csnp@uic.edu

Department of Biological Sciences

845 W. Taylor St.

University of Illinois at Chicago

Chicago IL 60607