Washington County Plans Prescribed Burn at Lake Elmo Park Reserve

If you see smoke on the horizon, this week, there's a good chance it is the result of a prescribed prairie burn in Lake Elmo Park Reserve.

The Washington County Parks Division is planning to conduct a controlled burn between Aug. 12 and Aug. 22.

The controlled burns will take approximately one to four hours and will occur on a weekday between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., according to county officials. The controlled burns are being conducted in conjunction with the local fire departments and the Minnesota DNR.

The prairie burns will only occur when weather conditions will permit a safe and effective burn. It may be rescheduled several times until the conditions are just right. Trained personnel with fire-fighting equipment will be on-site until the fire is extinguished.

According to Washington County:

Prairies are durable and complex grassland communities that provide food and cover for wildlife, protect against soil erosion, display beautiful colors throughout the year, and add character to the park landscape.

Once established, prairies are relatively carefree. Prairies are primarily managed through controlled burns. Fire controls the invasion of undesirable plants by stimulating those plants that are adapted to fire, while simultaneously killing off the woody and weedy plants that would otherwise take over the site. By initiating a controlled burn, a natural process is being reintroduced to the landscape.