Prescribed prairie burns…

will take place on the storm water detention ponds in the Coonen Subdivision.  The burns will be managed by Fox Valley Technical College Fire Fighter students.  The burns are scheduled for April or May, when the weather conditions are appropriate.

The benefits of prairie burns are listed below.

  • Reduces invasive species by directly killing or setting back the plants by removing the spring top growth.
  • Increases seed production of wild flowers and prairie grasses by two to eight times the first growing season immediately after a burn.
  • Controls woody vegetation and prevents the prairie from converting to a woods or shrub land.
  • Recycles nutrients and removes nitrogen, that is tied up in the thatch that builds on the soil surface over the years.
  • Increases seed germination rates by removing the thatch layer which creates a new seedbed and in increases soil temperatures the first year (thatch layer traps moisture and insulates the soil, creating cooler growing conditions).
  • Increases the diversity of plant species.
  • Reduces the conditions favorable for the growth of cool season invasive species (such as Kentucky blue grass, fescues, clovers and more) by increasing the soil temperature.
  • Improves habitat for beneficial wildlife species.
  • Maintains high quality aesthetics of the landscape for the public to view.
  • Economical – most cost-effective management tool.
  • Enhances and maintains a highly functional prairie which is fire dependent.

Additional information on Wisconsin DNR site