The Oregon Department of Forestry is planning a training burn on 40 acres of restored prairie at Bald Hill Farm TOMORROW, Monday, September 21st.
The burn will be managed by experienced ODF staff under required legal permits. This is a training opportunity for ODF and other local fire personnel to gain experience burning and observing fire behavior in a grass fuel model while also helping us achieve ecological goals for the property.
Some trails at Bald Hill Farm and Mulkey Ridge will be closed for burn operations. The lower trails up to the cross trail will be open and access to Bald Hill Natural Area from Oak Creek Drive or the Fairgrounds will not be affected.
Prairie habitats are adapted to and thrive with regular burning. At Bald Hill Farm we are stewarding and restoring prairie habitat for several threatened and endangered species including Taylor’s Checkerspot Butterfly, Oregon Vesper Sparrow, and dozens of other plant and animal species.
Regular mowing provides some of the benefits of fire for the prairie but is a pale substitute for what the habitat really needs, which is good fire. Grassland fires burn relatively cool and slow, consuming dead thatch and returning the nutrients to the soil, and leave behind an open and rich bed for new growth, free from competition from weeds and woody shrubs.
For more information please visit the web page in the first comment below.
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