Hellbranch Meadows Controlled Burn
December 27, 2024
Restoration Credentials Added
December 27, 2024
Earlier this month, MAD Scientist Associates had the opportunity to manage a controlled burn for the Franklin Soil and Water Conservation District at the Hellbranch Meadows site in Galloway, Ohio. This area is part of the historic Darby-Plains, which was managed through fire and other human intervention to keep an open prairie-savannah habitat versus forest. This was beneficial for grazing animals and diversity of plant types and communities.
The Franklin County SWCD has worked to restore this section of the Darby-Plains through a myriad of naturalization activities. Adding fire to recently planted areas seems counterintuitive, but really, it’s the key that unlocks the success of many prairie restoration projects. As with any site that has been disturbed and cleared of its native vegetation, you will have several years of combating weedy annuals and invasive species. Prairie plants are notorious for needing one to three years to show up from a seed mix, so managing your site to keep the baddies at bay is crucial. Once the desirable species start filling in, it’s time to start burning. With deep roots and fire-adapted seeds, prairie plants can withstand the heat return with gusto the next growing season. Many of the weedy pioneer species’ seeds get burned up, thus destroying the seedbank, and others with shallow roots will perish if the heat is strong enough.
This site took expert level planning to sustain the fire and keep it going in the right direction. Our team, led by Alexys Nolan and Cody Wright, worked the burn for nearly six hours. The footage of the burn at twilight is truly remarkable. We look forward to seeing how this area comes back to life next year!
The goal is for this 50+ acre area to establish as a diverse prairie with a combination of tall grasses, forbs (flowering plants), and scattered trees. The complexity of these ecosystems draws wildlife of many forms- pollinators, birds, grazing mammals, and innumerable other insects and arthropods. It also serves as a fantastic buffer for the Hellbranch stream and tributaries.
