April 5, 2011 - 2:06pm
Questions on Campus: What is the purpose of controlled burns of plants on campus?
BY CECILIA ZHOU
Summer weather is still a few months away, but for a few areas on campus, the temperature is already burning hot.
For the past three or four years, the Forestry Crew of University Plant Operations Grounds Services has organized controlled burns of plants around campus to prevent flora diseases.
In addition to the controlled burns, the Forestry Crew — which is in charge of thousands of trees on campus — also takes care of plant health through activities such as inspections, disease prevention, removal and replanting and pest management.
Until April 10, the planned burns will take place at the wooded lots next to the Inglis House estate, the grassland near Bursley Residence Hall and the Bentley Library wildflower garden, according to the University Housing website. Several of the locations have been diagnosed with invasive species and the burns are supposed to eliminate them.
North Campus is the only site where the University implements burnings, and controlled burns for specific locations occur every two or three years, according to Jane Immonen, a forestry specialist for Grounds Services. The burns mostly take place around the woodlands and are necessary for plant health, she said.
The University hires a group of about six to eight controlled burn professionals to use flammable fuel in specified areas and oversee the procedure, Immonen said. The weather also plays an important role in the process, as low wind and high humidity are essential factors for its execution, she said.
The fire is ignited only on ground areas where there are leaves and sticks that don’t burn at a very high temperature. This prevents the trees from catching on fire, Immonen said. The process takes a few hours and causes drifting smoke, but is often carried out when few people are around, she said. Immonen added that careful implementations of the process have prevented problems from occurring in previous years.
