Controlled Prairie Fire in Plymouth Helps Restore Native Grasses

If you see a fire at a Plymouth park this week, don’t be alarmed. Crews started a series of controlled burns on Thursday, April 11.

“Right now the conditions are great because the material on top is dry, it’s a little bit breezy so it’s dry,” said Jason Goehring, parks turf and horticulture manager for the city of Plymouth. “It carries a fire good. We know that the soil and the roots are damp with all the rain that we’ve gotten.”

On Thursday afternoon, they torched the grassland at Prairie Ponds Park, at 5150 Dunkirk Ln. N.

It’s a carefully orchestrated, if destructive maneuver meant to make room for native plants. 

“We do it to get rid of years of thatch buildup,” Goehring said. “As the plants grow over the seasons, you’ve got a buildup of plant matter. It really favors our warm season native plants, and it gives them that competitive advantage over invasives … And the roots are — they’re the prize. That’s where all the new plants are going to sprout from. It’s that top material that we’re looking to get rid of.”

A forestry crew conducts a controlled burn at Prairie Ponds Park in Plymouth.

Controlled Burns Planned at Six Parks

And while the flames may look destructive, they’re well under control. The city’s fire department is aware of these burns. 

“If the fire’s making you nervous, I assure you that these are trained professionals who have burned many many many acres of prairies throughout our state,” Goehring said.

Crews will be out for the next week at six parks and other city-owned prairies conducting these burns. 

Anyone who doesn’t mind smelling like smoke can feel free to watch the show.

“So when you’re out here in the parks, I would stay back and let the professionals do their work, and rest assured that the [native plants] we’re going to get in a few weeks are going to be well worth it,” Goehring said.

Plymouth