Park District

November Kicks Off the District’s
Fall Burn Season
Weather permitting, the St. Charles Park District will be conducting prescribed burns in select park areas this fall. Controlled burns are used by
Park District management as a way of restoring an area’s ecological balance, according to Denis Kania, Manager of Natural Areas.
“We take the use of this restoration tool very seriously,” says Kania. Guided by strict parameters that dictate when and where burns
can take place, the Park District will evaluate weather elements such as wind speed and direction, relative humidity, and temperature
in preparing an area for a prescribed burn. Some of the sites where fall woodland burns take place might include places such
as Norris Woods Nature Preserve, Delnor Woods, Persimmon Woods, and the Hickory Knolls Natural Areas.
Fall is the preferred time to conduct such restorative burns, and usually take place after oak leaves have come down. The main fuel
for carrying the fire, oak leaves take longer to dry out after hitting the ground. Other factors in scheduling prescribed burns
include the amount of time between rain falls, and how low temperatures drop. “Once the weather gets too cold, it makes
it difficult to bring water to the burn and keep equipment from freezing and breaking,” cautions Kania.
In nature, the overall health of many ecosystems is maintained by the restorative effects of fire. Eliminating invasive
species, enriching soils, encouraging diverse plant and animal communities, and removing dead materials are just
some of its benefits. When fires are suppressed, natural imbalances occur by encouraging the growth of fireintolerant
plants and invasive non-native plant species. Areas that are burned in the fall generally “green up”
very quickly in the spring. Fire-blackened soil absorbs solar heat, thus providing a warm incubator for
new seedlings.
Certified by the State of Illinois as a Prescribed Burn Manager, Kania oversees the department’s full-time
staff who are trained in prescribed burn practices. “We have a long-standing excellent reputation with the
St. Charles Fire Department based on our record of knowing how to conduct prescribed burns,” says Kania.
For more information about prescribed burns, contact
Denis Kania at 630-513-4367.
stcparks.org
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