The grassy areas near the physical education building will be burned this fall or early spring as a part of an ongoing effort to restore remnants of the prairies that once were found throughout this area. Northeastern Illinois University has held an annual or bi- annual prairie grass and tree branch-burning event since 1988, said Dr. Erick Howenstine Chair of the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies and Chair of the Economics Department. His deptartment. obtains the necessary permission from the university, state Environmental Protection Agency (EPA,) and the City of Chicago before undertaking the controlled burn with the assistance of the department of biology, and this year, the deptartment of philosophy.
Neighbors and the local fire department are notified in advance, as is the university community. The burn will not take place if the wind is blowing in the direction of the neighboring residents on the day of the event.
“The event consists of the use of a controlled fire to burn grass and small trees in an effort to preserve the patches of prairie and savanna which were typical of this area prior to European settlement,” Howenstine said. “At one time lightning fires and those lit-maybe accidentally- by Native Americans would be enough to maintain the prairies. But now restorationist must do these controlled burns.”
An exact date for the burn has not been set yet. The grass and leaves have to reach a certain state of dryness, and it will probably happen before the end of November. If it snows, it will be too late. If it does not occur during the fall of 2008, it will be conducted in the spring 2009, according to Howenstine.
“The older trees, particularly the Swamp White Oaks, will survive the burning, but the newer trees, will be killed at the base, by the fire which can reach in grassy areas, as high as 20 feet,” said Howenstine. We may have to cut some saplings and apply herbicide to the stumps because there were several years when the area was not heavily burned,” Howenstine said. “Particularly in the area enclosed by the rail fence, east of the PE Building, smaller trees have taken hold to the point where it will be difficult to get a hot enough fire to do them in.”
The fire is conducted by the students and the faculty with hand tools. Flappers, which are rubber mats on a stick, backpack water tanks, rakes and matches are all that are needed. To be extra safe, the periphery is mowed in advance, and Facilities management will provide large back up water tanks. The burn takes approximately four hours.