Controlled Burns Planned In Two Urbandale Parks

URBANDALE, IA — City parks and fire officials will conduct planned burns this week to tame invasive growth in two park areas in Urbandale. The controlled burns will take place in the Jackaline Baldwin Dunlap Park and Arboretum and a portion of Walnut Creek Regional Park.

Officials have notified residents living in the area of the intent to conduct the controlled burns, which they plan to complete within the week. Weather conditions have to be favorable with low winds in order to conduct the burns.

The prescribed burns will be administered with the assistance of the Urbandale Fire Department.The arboretum is located at Patricia Drive and Dewey Gibbs Road and the Walnut Creek site is east of 156th Street between Douglas Avenue and Ridgemont Drive.

Using fire is a common practice to meet land management objectives, particularly in natural prairie and timber areas that have been overrun with invasive weeds. The Urbandale Parks Department plans to start using prescribed burning as a natural management tool.

The department said in a news release that fire is a natural occurrence that helps the plant and animal communities in a park and controlled burning offers a safer way to use fire in a helpful manner. Officials said using prescribed burns for land management has several benefits, including:

• Aid in reducing the undesirable plants from invading our native prairie areas
• Help in maintaining a rich diversity of wildflowers and grasses
• Benefits to water quality by aiding in the establishment of deep-rooted native plant species
• Improvement to the natural beauty and enjoyment of parks

For more information about Urbandale's prescribed burns, contact Kevin James, assistant director of parks and facilities, at kjames@urbandale.org or 515-331-6799.

Image via City of Urbandale