By Cecilia Nasmith/Today’s Northumberland
The Rice Lake Plains Partnership – which includes the Northumberland County Forest, the Nature Conservancy of Canada, Northumberland Land Trust and Alderville Black Oak Savanna – announces a series of prescribed burns this spring to support the conservation of rare local ecosystems.
These monitored and controlled ground fires are planned in the Township of Cramahe and the Township of Alnwick/Haldimand, including two burns to be conducted in the Northumberland County Forest in April or May, dependent on weather conditions.
Within the county forest, prescribed burns encourage growth of native habitats and species such as the globally-threatened oak savanna, oak woodland and tallgrass prairie habitats. These ground fires remove invasive plants and excess grass, brush and leaves from the ground, while native species (which are protected from the fire by their thick bark and or deep roots) remain unharmed. This result is that increased sunlight reaches the forest floor, and the blackened earth left behind is warmed and provides nourishment to native species.
“Prescribed burns are a key conservation and hazard-reduction tool that supports the restoration and growth of native habitats and protects the safety of the forest,” Northumberland’s Natural Heritage Manager Todd Farrell said in the announcement.
“In addition to their valuable ecological health benefits, these burns also help to reduce the risk of wildfire by limiting the amount of flammable vegetation in the area.”
The two prescribed burns planned for the county forest this spring include one near Beagle Club Trailhead, as well as one located east of Tucker Road and south of Dunbar Road. To ensure the safety of forest users, trails at the Beagle Club Trailhead will be briefly closed for the duration of the nearby burn.
The burns are being conducted with approval from the Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry and in consultation with fire officials from both Cramahe and Alnwick-Haldimand townships. All on-site personnel will review safety protocols and safe zones prior to the burn.
Forest staff will continue to monitor temperatures and weather conditions (such as dryness and wind speeds) on a daily basis to determine an appropriate timeline to conduct the burns within the next few weeks, in alignment with ecological and cultural best-management practices. These timelines will be shared on the county’s website and social media once available.
For updates on the prescribed burn schedule, or to check for trail closures before visiting Beagle Club Trailhead, visit Northumberland.ca/Forest.
Members of the public who have questions about the prescribed burn in the county forest are encouraged to contact the county’s Natural Heritage team at forest@northumberland.ca.
For information about the prescribed burns taking place outside of the county forest, in the Township of Cramahe and the Township of Alnwick/Haldimand, please reach out to the following partners:
· Nature Conservancy of Canada (which is overseeing these burns): nature@natureconservancy.ca
· Northumberland Land Trust (overseeing burns in the Township of Alnwick-Haldimand): info@nltrust.ca
· Alderville Black Oak Savanna (overseeing burns in Alderville First Nation): info@aldervillesavanna.ca
