Controlled burns are central to the management of our savannas and prairies. Our savanna burns are carried out mainly in the fall (late October through mid November), after the oak leaves come down. Our prairie burns are carried out in early spring, after the snows are gone but before things start to green up. Savanna burns are also sometimes carried out in the spring.

We had very good fall 2003 savanna burns, with about 30 acres of our bur oak and white oak savannas burned. We burned Units 8, 10, 11, 12A, 12B, 18, and 19. Refer to the map for locations.

The spring 2004 burn season was the most successful we have had at Pleasant Valley Conservancy. A new DNR permitting system gave us more flexibility, and we were able to hire an experienced burn crew to supplement dedicated volunteers. We were also able to make very good use of the new pumper unit that the Prairie Enthusiasts purchased with funds from the Turkey Stamp program (see photo at left).

We burned the south slope on March 30, 2004, except for the road bank, which we will burn in early May. The road bank is mainly smooth brome, an exotic grass, and according to the literature, a May burn will suppress this species. We used the high pressure hose to keep this grass from burning while we burned the rest of the slope. This procedure was very successful.

Our largest spring burn took place on April 2, 2004. We burned two planted prairies (Toby's Prairie and the Pocket Prairie), a prairie remnant on the south slope (Unit 7), as well as several newly cleared savanna areas (Units 13, 20, and 21). Also included in the burn was a small former ag field, now in the Conservation Reserve Program, that we plan to plant to prairie in the fall. (About 25 acres total) A very good fire break was cleared on the north side of Unit 13 and through part of Unit 17 near Toby's Prairie. (See photo at left for our clearing procedure.)

The weather was perfect, with temperatures in the 50's F, relative humidity about 15%, and a steady but not strong wind out of the north. The pumper unit found good use to wetline our neighbor's large ag field east of Unit 13.

We actually did two separate burns in sequence, the upper savanna and prairie first, then the lower part. We started lighting about 11:00 AM and were finished all burning by 3:30 PM. (See photos below.)

After the main burns are completed, we generally return and light any unburned areas with a drip torch, a procedure called "stripping." There are always small areas that do not burn in the initial action, but can be made to burn with stripping. Stripping is especially important in the savannas, because brush, downed logs, and trees break up the burn and keep it from spreading. The photo at right shows a junction between prairie and savanna that was stripped satisfactorily.