Diary of a Restoration

15th Installment, April 8, 2005

The Illinois Raptor Center conducted its second prescribed burn April 8 with the help of LaGesse and Assoc., an ecological restoration firm. The second prairie burn was spectacular due to the extra fuel provided by native grasses. Crews were careful to conduct the fire when conditions were ideal, including wind direction that carried smoke away from roads and our neighbor's property.

In addition to the prairie burn, crews conducted a woodland burn of two sections of upland woods. Those burns are intended to clear out understory brush and leaf litter, stimulate the growth of woodland wildflowers and help control the spread of invasive plants like bush honeysuckle.

Areas that appear to be blackened wasteland will be lush and green in a few weeks and nature continues the cycle of renewal.

Click here to see the woods in mid-summer.