By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Long before local residents walked county parks, the grasslands and woods were managed by natural fires.
Now it’s up to the Wood County Park District to manage the prescribed burns on park acreage.
“Fire is a really good management tool,” said Adrien Lowien-Kirian, who coordinates the prescribed burns on county parklands. “It’s really good for some invasive species mitigation.”
Controlled burning is the most efficient method to restore oak woodlands and savannas, Lowien-Kirian explained to the park district’s board of trustees on Tuesday. The fires can reduce layers of leaves and organic matter, increase nutrient cycling, improve seed germination, and increase biodiversity.
Alternate methods can be used, such as herbicides, mowing, raking and blowing. But all are more time consuming than controlled burns, Lowien-Kirian said. In some cases, a combination of methods is the best option, she said.
In all prescribed burns, the Wood County Park District follows detailed regulations by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the Ohio EPA. All staff involved are trained, according to Lowien-Kirian.
Burns in grasslands and woods are only conducted when the conditions are just right. Factors such as wind, humidity, temperature, fuel moisture and fuel loading must be taken into consideration, she explained. Quite often, planned burns have to be delayed until the right conditions occur.
Neighbors of parks where prescribed burns are planned are alerted ahead of time, as are local law enforcement.
Also at the park district meeting, Molly Strader, a neighbor of Buttonwood Park, again asked the board to clean up the park along the Maumee River that had been overrun twice by ice jams.
Strader said people frequently dump their yard waste there because it looks so uncared for.
“It looks very delinquent,” Strader said.
Park district director Neil Munger said more “no dumping” signage will be added.
In other business at Tuesday’s meeting:
- Board members accepted the low bid of $24,960 from Stahl Electric of Bradner to install electricity to the Zimmerman one-room school at Carter Historic Farm and the implement barn.
- The board agreed to spend $6,923 for a security camera system at the historic farm.
