In coming weeks specially trained crews from the DuPage Forest Preserve District will be conducting prescription burns at selected sites in the county’s preserves.

Prescription burns are considered an effective natural resource management tool for restoring native prairies, wetlands and woodlands. Prescription burns generally take place in the early spring before new vegetation emerges and in late fall after the season’s vegetation has died. The Forest Preserve District’s first purposely set controlled burn was conducted at Churchill Woods Forest Preserve in Glen Ellyn in the mid-1970s.

Conducting prescription burns depends on the daily weather and other factors, so the District cannot schedule them in advance. Residents who live near planned burn locations receive notices in the mail, and on the morning of a burn, crews post signs and contact local fire departments.

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