There is no set schedule for the fires, as they are largely dependent on weather conditions like wind speed, wind direction and rain, Boyer said. The state allows burns up until May 31, and Boyer said the county likes to get them out of the way as early as possible.
“A lot of it is last minute, like (checking if) the conditions are going to be just right and we can get in here,” Boyer said.
A prescribed or controlled burn is an intentional fire set under specific conditions to restore and manage prairie ecosystems under Ohio Department of Natural Resources guidelines and state regulations.
Some of the planned burn areas include Rebert Pike Nature Park, the Kirby Preserve, Old Reid Park, Mitchell Meadows and along Eagle City Road, Boyer said. The Peckuwe Battle site underwent a prescribed burn Thursday.
Burns must be supervised by an Ohio Certified Prescribed Fire Manager, who has training in wildfire suppression and prescribed fire management, as well as prior professional experience with these burns or wildfires.
To prepare a site for a prescribed burn, Boyer said crews establish firebreaks, gaps in vegetation or other flammable materials designed to slow or stop the fire. Parks staff maintain equipment to extinguish the fire as needed, and local fire agencies are notified in case the parks district needs assistance and to allow dispatchers to effectively manage calls about the fire if passersby are unaware of the controlled nature of the fire.
Area parks see invasive species like honeysuckle, tree of heaven and autumn olive, Boyer said. If burns get to the invasive plants when they are young enough, they can be taken out, he said.
“Once they kind of go in, they kill out any native species at least until they’ve been removed and eradicated, and then after a few years those native wildflowers and prairie plants can come back,” Boyer said.
Prescribed burns have been an ecological practice for hundreds of years, Boyer said, since the early Native Americans. The Clark County area was mainly prairie before it was settled by colonizers, and it’s important to preserve what is left, he said.
Anyone in the area of a controlled burn is asked to observe signs and stay a safe distance away.
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