Controlled burn planned at Malcolmson Eco-Park

A controlled burn to remove invasive plants will take place at Malcolmson Eco-Park this week.

The City of St. Catharines and the Friends of Malcolmson EcoPark say the burn will take place between April 6 and 13.

The group obtained permission from the city and the required permit to conduct an open-air burning from the municipality’s open air burning bylaw.

“The Friends of Malcolmson Eco-Park have been doing the controlled burn for a while,” says Ilyse Norton, development horticultural technician at the city’s parks and recreation services department.

“They do the burn because they’ve established native prairie grassland in the park; and the burn is the most effective way to control the invasive species and help the native grasses grow.”

A controlled burn is a safe and natural way to remove invasive plants, avoid environmental damage and restore a healthy ecosystem to promote growth of native plants. The Friends of Malcolmson Eco-Park will use the controlled burn to invasive species such as buckthorn, sumac and poplar.

“As long as the wind conditions — speed and direction — are correct then the burn will take place in the morning; and it takes about four to six hours because they do the burn in sections. So, they start the burn and then they move it along the area,” says Norton.

Notices to neighbours will announce dates and times through social media and online at www.stcatharines.ca.

Visitors to Malcolmson EcoPark will not be allowed to use the native prairie grassland area during the burn.

“When the controlled burn is made under perfect weather conditions, the smoke rises straight up in the air and there shouldn’t be any impact on the neighbours,” says St. Catharines fire Chief Jeff McCormick. However, “because weather does constantly change,” wind shifts can blow smoke nearby residential neighbourhoods, so people should keep windows and doors closed.