Learn how prescribed fire rejuvenates the prairie grasses and wildflowers planted at the campus of Northwestern University, Illinois
Prairie grasses burning in a prescribed fire on the campus of Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois.
Courtesy of Northwestern University (A Britannica Publishing Partner)
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Transcript
Fifteen, almost 20 years ago, there were a lot of prairie grasses and wildflowers planted in here. And the burn is meant to rejuvenate those plants. It's just a natural process in the plains, in the prairies. And it's become kind of a maintenance procedure for us now, really. A lot of undesirable type plants have gotten in here. It gets the weeds knocked out of here. Basically, what it does a lot faster than we can do it manually. And they can do in about four hours, a couple of my guys would take four days.
It's just a practical way to go. Try to do it during spring break every year. I may have to call them off two or three times from the scheduled days just because of the winds. It's maybe once out of the last 15 years that I have actually been able to do it during the spring break. Either snow or rain or-- it's been fairly dry so conditions are actually really good. TGF enterprises, they are actually firemen.
Wilmette, I believe, and-- they're licensed to do this and they have their own water source here to-- I've never had a problem with them at all. When I put out that broadcast message to the university-- fire?! It's really no big deal. I've never had a problem.
It's just a practical way to go. Try to do it during spring break every year. I may have to call them off two or three times from the scheduled days just because of the winds. It's maybe once out of the last 15 years that I have actually been able to do it during the spring break. Either snow or rain or-- it's been fairly dry so conditions are actually really good. TGF enterprises, they are actually firemen.
Wilmette, I believe, and-- they're licensed to do this and they have their own water source here to-- I've never had a problem with them at all. When I put out that broadcast message to the university-- fire?! It's really no big deal. I've never had a problem.
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