There’s a new boss at Canal Shores – a Burn Boss, that is – and his name is Steve Neumann. Steve is the Chair of our Grounds Committee as well as the Eco Committee that recently completed creation of the Ecological Component of our Master Plan (click here to see the Eco plan). Being a geeky man after my own heart, he fulfilled an ambition of becoming an officially certified Burn Boss by participating in training with the Forest Preserve District. Perhaps the coolest title I have heard to date.
In my previous post on trees, I shared about our intention to continue the battle against buckthorn, honeysuckle and other invasives to create space for native trees, shrubs and other plants to flourish at Canal Shores. The property is currently so terribly overrun with invasives that the by-product of our clearing efforts is a tremendous amount of brush. Prior to this season, we have experimented with using the material in raised hugelkultur beds, and we have chipped quite a bit of it. The chipping is faster and tidier, but it is also cost-prohibitive considering the volume of material.
Cue the Burn Boss.
Burning has been a land management practice since before European settlers arrived in America. Native Americans used prescribed burning of the prairies and woodlands to promote biodiversity, maintain ecological health, and sustain their food sources. Fast forward several centuries, and ecologists, land managers and Golf Course Superintendents are once again embracing regular prescribed burning as a best practice for maintaining healthy ecosystems.
According to the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, “Unburned natural areas can quickly become choked with invasive trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants including buckthorn and honeysuckle. A periodic fire regime limits these unwanted species while promoting more desirable woody species such as oaks and hickories, as well as numerous grasses and wildflowers.
As an additional benefit to prescribed burns, the black earth left behind after a fire warms more quickly in the spring, which gives native species a jumpstart in growth over unburned areas. Other benefits include accelerated nutrient cycling in the soil and decreased fuel loads that will reduce the likelihood of wildfire.”
Our crew is now committed to the practice of burning to support the ecological enhancements we are working so hard to make. Steve obtained permits from both the Illinois EPA and the City of Evanston, and organized our first burn.
Although we are starting slowly with burning brush piles, my hope is that we expand the practice to our woodland and “native” areas in the long run because burning is a best practice.
OUR FIRST BURN
After winter clearing projects, we had plenty of brush to burn. Tony and John moved and compiled it on the 11th hole. The pile was big to begin with, and during the three hour session, we continued clearing the along the canal.
We were fortunate to have a great turnout of volunteers, young and old. Our Burn Boss got the fire going, and for more than 2 hours, we fed the fire.
What started as a big pile of brush became a big fire. 24 hours later, all that was left was a small pile of ash. Spring rain and wind will take care of the ash, and we will do it all again in the next session.
Many thanks to Steve for his efforts to educate and organize, and to our dedicated volunteers who showed up to feed the fire and feel the burn.
More Journey Along the Shores posts:
- Pt.1 – Introduction
- Pt.2 – The Land
- Pt.3 – Principles for Greatness
- Pt.4 – First Steps
- Pt.5 – Tree Management
- Pt.6 – 4 Course Concept
- Pt.7 – Pilot Projects
- Pt.8 – More Tree Management
- Pt.9 – Inspiration for the New Canal Shores
- Pt.10 – Off-Season Projects
- Pt.11 – Blue Sky Findings
- Pt.12 – Good Geeky Fun
- Pt.13 – 4 Course Concept Revisited
- Pt.14a – The Power of Volunteers
- Pt.14b – More Volunteer Power
- Pt.15 – Metra Corner Makeover
- Pt.15b – Metra Corner Update
- Pt.16 – Super Changes
- Pt.17 – 14th Hole Bunker Rebuild
- Pt.18 – Annual Volunteer Recap
- Pt.19 – All About the Trees
- Pt.20 – Spring Project
Copyright 2018 – Jason Way, GeekedOnGolf
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