As fall sets in, LREC staff are starting to think about fire. Every year, we use fire to assist in the restoration process in at least one of our habitats. This year, we are hoping to burn in four different habitats: the North Prairie, the Pasture Prairie, the North Woods, and a central patch of the woodland.

When will we burn you ask? We can’t say. Not because it is a secret, but because we don’t know. The date of our burn is highly dependent on the weather. We must have had no rain for a certain period of time. The wind must be the right speed and direction. The humidity must be low. The air quality must be good. In addition to the weather, schedules must work out; since we need the fire department on-site for safety reasons, we must consider their schedule as well as the schedules of other key staff members.

In addition to all of the other factors we consider, our burns would not be successful without the help of a large number of volunteers. We need volunteers to carry backpack-supplied watering hoses, to carry rakes and fire-smothering equipment, to stand along the edges of the burn unit to watch for escaping flames or cinders, to monitor weather conditions, and any other of a number of tasks. If you are interested in participating with the burn, please call or e-mail Danelle (314-961-4410). We will put you on the list of individuals to be notified of our plans for the burns. Unfortunately, due to the difficulty in predicting weather in St. Louis, we cannot generally offer more that a 24-hour advance notice to volunteers.