Workers with Oklahoma-based Chloeta Fire conduct a controlled burn at Lake Fayetteville in April 2010..
Courtesy photo
City officials yesterday announced plans for two controlled burns set to take place Wednesday near Lake Fayetteville, pending suitable weather conditions.
The city hired Oklahoma-based Chloeta Fire (CFI), a company that specializes in wildland and prescribed fire consulting and contracting services, to conduct both burns in an effort to restore natural vegetation, aid in prairie restoration, and to reduce the threat of wildfire in the burn areas.
The burns will take place on the dam, and on approximately 39 acres north of the Environmental Study Center located on Lakeview Drive. For safety reasons, the paved and nature trails from Veterans Memorial Park to the lake marina, and the trails from the study center north around the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks will be closed to the public during the burns.
From the news release:
A team of wildland fire professionals with extensive experience in the public sector will ensure that the burns are conducted with minimal impact to the public. The burns will only be implemented under a strict set of weather and environmental parameters, considering factors such as fuel, moisture, relative humidity and smoke dispersion.
If weather conditions are not suitable, the burns will be rescheduled for a later date sometime in the next two weeks.
For more information about trail closures associated with the burns, contact the city’s Parks and Recreation Department at 479-444-3471.
Why Oh Why do they always have to do this on the very first nice day of spring, making it difficult for us to get out and enjoy what we’ve waited so long for . . . couldn’t they just give us a week or two? The “minimal impact” creates a hazy cloud over my neighborhood all day long, not to mention the smell.
I’m sure you can find another place in northwest Arkansas to spend a nice day… NWA has it real good in that respect.
That hazy cloud for a day or so is much better than overgrown trails or worse, an ‘unplanned’ burn of Lake Fayetteville. Thank you to the city for caring about our parks!