Prescribed burn aims to restore Hazel Bird Nature Reserve ecosystem

In most cases fires are extinguished. But on Tuesday at the Hazel Bird Nature Reserve, they were ignited as part of a plan to enhance the local ecosystem.

In Northumberland County, rare black oak woodlands and black oak savanna are being protected through a controlled — or prescribed — burn. Fires are set off deliberately for the purpose of enhancing habitat by eliminating non-indigenous plant species from invading the forest.

“There are techniques now where they actually can prescribe and apply a very controlled burn to a property,” said Mark Stabb from Nature Conservancy Canada.

Much like a doctor’s prescription, a biologist assesses the conditions in the forest and prescribes a controlled fire to help restore its natural ecosystem.

READ MORE: Don’t call 911, they’re just controlled burns: Kelowna Fire Department

Stabb explains that this type of forest is extremely rare and only about one per cent is left on the planet,

“One of the reasons that we are most concerned about it, is that it has lost fire, and fire is needed to sustain the habits here,” said Stabb.

The Nature Conservancy of Canada hired professional burners to work through the 6.2 hectares of land — a procedure that takes six months of planning.

“We come out, we take a look at the site, we establish where the boundaries are going to be. The boundaries are the control lines to keep the fire inside the block where it’s supposed to be burned,” said Jason Sickel, burn boss for Lands and Forest consulting.

The team assesses the weather, burn behaviour, and picks a safe day for a controlled fire.

Immediately you will see blackened earth, but in a few days, experts said it will start to green up with more flowers, new grass and less scotch pine.

The next burn in this area is expected to take place next spring.