Shifting wind doesn’t impede controlled burn
An “unpredictable” wind was an annoyance, but didn’t stop a planned controlled burn at the Malcolmson Eco-Park on Monday morning.
“It went exactly the way we expected,” said Greg Eckhardt, a volunteer with the Friends of Malcolmson Eco-Park. “We started at 9 (a.m.) and we expected the burn to be from two to three hours. Didn’t get any complaints from the neighbours or calls in. We burned probably about 95 per cent of prairie grassland.”
A controlled burn is a safe and natural way to remove invasive plants, avoid environmental damage and restore a healthy ecosystem to promote the growth of native plants.
Eckhardt cited two reasons the controlled burn is important.
It reduces invasive species and promotes the growth of native grasses in the park. Secondly, “there is less chance of fire dur-
ing the summer, which could be started by kids, a cigarette butt,” said Eckhardt.
Fifteen volunteers from Niagara College, along with Martin Smith, professor of the ecosystem restoration class, participated in the burn.
Smith described some of the wind difficulty the participants experienced.
“The wind was supposed to be from the south, southeast, southwest,” said Smith. “Very strong north wind right now. The wind was unpredictable, but never bad enough to stop a controlled burn.”
Sophie Lafrance, a student in a ecosystem restoration program, appreciated the first-hand experience.
“We got pretty lucky that this year we were able to participate. It is a great experience for the students,” said Lafrance, who is also president of the Society for Ecological Restoration’s Niagara chapter.
The controlled burn cleared space for the planting of native prairie plants.
“This is something that the kids like to do when they come in,” said Delland Trojan, a volunteer with the Friends of Malcolmson EcoPark. “They really aren’t interested in picking up garbage; they’d rather be planting things.”
She said a group of school students is coming April 21 to learn about plants and get their hands dirty.