Ann Arbor’s Volunteer Burn Crew training begins this week
ANN ARBOR – It’s nearing the end of February, and you know what that means in Ann Arbor: controlled burn spring season. The volunteer program with the city’s Natural Area Preservation will kick off virtual training on Thursday, Feb. 18 from noon to 5 p.m. The Spring 2021 Controlled Ecological Burn season begins on Friday, Feb. 19 and ends on Friday, May 29. During the Spring 2021 Controlled Burn Season, NAP has permits to conduct burns in the following locations: Arbor Hills Nature Area, Argo Nature Area, Berkshire Creek Nature Area, Bird Hills Nature Area, Black Pond Woods Nature Area, Botsford Nature Area, Buhr Park, Buttonbush Nature Area, Cedar Bend Nature Area, Earhart Nature Area, Gallup Park, Huron Parkway Nature Area, Kuebler Langford Nature Area, Leslie Woods Nature Area, Marshall Nature Area, Maryfield Wildwood Park, Miller Nature Area, Scarlett Mitchell Nature Area, Stapp Nature Area, Sunset Brooks Nature Area, Swift Run Park, and the NAP office at 3875 E. Huron River Drive. The local fire department is notified before each burn, and cell phones and two-way radios are carried by staff conducting a burn.
Ann Arbor’s controlled burn season to kick off in October
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The City of Ann Arbor will begin this year’s burn season with an informational public meeting from 7-8:30 p.m. on Oct. 21. This fall, Natural Area Preservation will conduct controlled ecological burns in natural areas between Oct. 22 and Dec. 23. According to NAP, the ecological burns take place because native Ann Arbor ecosystems depend on fire to enrich soil and remove dead thatch. This year, NAP has permits to have burns in Bandemer Park, Barton Nature Area, Bird Hills Nature Area, Buttonbush Nature Area, Ruthven Nature Area, Scarlett Mitchell Nature Area, Sugarbush Park and Swift Run Marsh. City of Ann Arbor and township fire marshals review the plans before issuing burn permits.