Travelling around the Chicagoland area recently, I have seen a lot of controlled burning of naturalized areas in both golf course and park settings. A controlled burn can be an effective tool to manage naturalized areas, but it is important to consider the following things before proceeding.
Can you legally execute controlled burns?
It is important to check state and local rules to determine if controlled burns are possible in your area. In Illinois, an open burning permit from the Illinois EPA is necessary, and you must adhere to any additional regulations at the county or city level. Weather conditions and the ability to contain all fires are considered when giving these permits.
Are the conditions acceptable for controlled burning?
Even if a permit is given, understanding optimal conditions for burning is imperative. Knowing wind speed and direction, relative humidity, and moisture of the plant material is helpful in establishing a burn strategy. Ultimately, working with a professional can help you navigate these considerations to avoid losing control of a fire.
What is your intended purpose?
There are many benefits to controlled burns of naturalized areas, but there can be unintended results as well. Burning can break down organic material from the past season and allow for new growth. It can also reduce the need for mowing and cleaning up clippings, which can be a massive labor and input savings for your course. Burning also recycles nutrients like phosphorous, nitrogen and carbon from old plants back into the soil.
Weed management is another potential benefit. Low-intensity fire can deplete the seed bank of many weed seeds near the surface. Additionally, many weed species in naturalized areas are not well adapted to fire and can be more affected by a burn than desired species. Weeds like barnyardgrass, Japanese stiltgrass and many small woody plants do not tolerate fire well. However, it is important to consider weeds that may be able to adapt and outcompete desirable species after a controlled burn. Weeds like Canada thistle or plants with extensive root systems are often able to outcompete desirable species like fine fescues that aren’t fire adaptive. Some native plants like big bluestem and switchgrass are fire adaptive, so if they are a desirable species in your naturalized areas burning may produce better results than with species like fine fescues.
Controlled burns can be a low-cost tool to help improve the quality of naturalized areas. If you are going to use this practice, it is important to obtain necessary permits, ensure conditions are optimal for burning, and time burning to control problematic weeds without compromising your preferred species or creating a competitive advantage for unwanted plants. If you have any questions about managing naturalized areas, please reach out to your local USGA agronomist.
Central Region Agronomists:
Zach Nicoludis, regional director, Central Region – znicoludis@usga.org
Tom Gould, agronomist – tgould@usga.org