USDA Forest Service to conduct prescribed burning at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie

WILMINGTON, Ill. (October 30, 2023) – The USDA Forest Service will be conducting prescribed burning throughout Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie during the fall of 2023 and the spring of 2024. Because of changing weather conditions, it is difficult to say exactly what days burns will be conducted. In many cases the final decision cannot be made until the day of the burn.

All prescribed fire projects will be conducted in accordance with an approved burn plan to ensure the safety of people and property in the area. Burn plans describe the specific conditions under which burns will be conducted including the weather, number of personnel, and opportunities to minimize smoke impacts.

Visitors are asked to avoid areas where prescribed burns are being conducted. As a result of the burns, some residents and visitors may see or smell smoke. People should not be alarmed; the fires will be carefully monitored. Local authorities will be notified prior to burn days and kept informed throughout burning operations.

Prescribed fire provides the following benefits:

• Reduces hazardous fuels
• Minimizes the spread of plant and animal disease
• Removes invasive species that threaten species that are native to an ecosystem
• Provides forage for animals
• Improves habitat for threatened and endangered species
• Recycles nutrients back to the soil and promotes the growth of forbs, tallgrasses, wildflowers and other plants.

Since 1996, volunteers and staff have been working with over 275 native Illinois prairie plants to restore and enhance natural areas. Approximately 3,000 acres of land are actively undergoing restoration or enhancement, and several tools are necessary to attain restoration goals. The use of prescribed fire is among the most effective and necessary pieces of the restoration process.