April 19 was one of those rare occasions Springfield Township Fire Chief Charlie Oaks could spot smoke over the horizon and not have to sprint to the fire engine and crank up the sirens.
The township parks and rec program contracted with David Borneman, LLC out of Ann Arbor for a controlled burn on 38.1 acres near the Rose Township Line in the Shiawassee Basin Preserve, said Director of Parks and Recreation Jennifer Tucker.
‘We use prescribed burning as a management tool? it was part of our landscape management tools hundreds of years ago,? said Tucker. ‘If you don’t have burning, evasives from other continents will drive out a lot of your local species.?
Prescribed burning was defined as ‘fire applied in a knowledgable manner to forest fuels on a specific land area under selected weather conditions to accomplish predetermined, well-defined management objectives,? on http://forestabout.com in reference to A Guide for Prescribed Fire in Southern Forest.
Tucker said the burn occurred roughly from noon ? 8 p.m. and was done with such precision many of residents might not have noticed.
‘It’s very precise and calculated with certain protocol they follow. Everyone who prescribes burns has a lot of schooling and experience,? said Tucker, emphasizing the safety of the procedure.
‘There’s a burn plan and prescription for every site given to the fire chief,? she added.
According to Tucker, the prescribed burn also works to prevent dangerous wildfires by burning dead organic material. Another of the benefits of the prescribed burn was restoration of ecosystems unique to Springfield Township.
Even though the burn was planned by the parks and rec department, they were unsure of the exact time and date until the morning of the burn.
‘I received a call this morning around 7:30 a.m. letting me know the burn was today,? said Tucker, who explained the conditions must meet a strict criteria including correct winds, humidity levels and other factors.’Often in any given burn you might not get those conditions,? she added.
Tucker said there may be another burn this year, but that to be beneficial, the burns must be held at the right time of the year under the right conditions to get rid of the brown debris and undergrowth often hidden under green plants later in the summer.
‘You can burn in the summer, but it’s not as productive as in the spring because (in summer) when things green up they won’t burn,? said Tucker.
Tucker indicated similar burns were used in the township over the previous two years.