How the prescribed burn can lend a hand to flourish the ecosystem

Tower over the high park of Toronto which is one of the last black oak ecosystems in leafy tree Ontario.

They are rare, so each year, fire experts carefully set fire to their roots, in a controlled circumference – by burning dry grass, leaves and twigs.

Smoke bill over trees, flowing through parts of the park before disintegrating. The flames where they are set, convert the underbrush into ash.

Traditional and prescribed Burns have been left in the high park for two decades, named Bayinakjigvok Anishnabeg, which cooperates with the city of Toronto by indigenous Land Stewardship Circle, which has been on the current rendering of indigenous practice for a long time.

While colonial rules in Canada banned for a long time Traditional fire practices of indigenous communitiesThis is shifting, not only with more use of burns prescribed for Wildfire protection But ecosystem health.

Renny Grills is a resource management officer for the Mevasin Valley Authority, a conservation organization in Saskatoon that uses fire set in and out of the city borders.

“Part of protection for you, you know, in the last 30 years’ it was set aside, nature would take care of itself,” Grillaz said.

“We are feeling or not, we need to manage these scenarios.”

Fire as a tool in urban areas

The idea of ​​a fixed burning is to use a sharp, low fire with the ground level.

Introduction to fire in a ecosystem Helps dilute the fuel forest, which may include things such as leaf garbage, sticks and dead plants. In the high park, it gives a place like black oak to fire-resistant species, which allows the aggressive species back and allows more air, nutrients and sunlight to reach them.

In March of this year, the city of Edmonton operated itself Burned within the first city boundaryTo reduce the risk of wildfire.

With the Deputy Fire Chief of Admonton, with community security and risk, the Graeme McCalester said to CBC News in an email, “This burn effectively helped the city to reduce vegetation, which could air the forest fire, and helped to increase public safety by reducing the risk of forest fire in the area,” Edmontinon’s city has helped to increase public security and risk, CBC News called CBC News, CBC News called the CBC News.

But operating a fixed water in an urban area comes with risk.

“You have a high value property around the area you want to burn, but smoking management also becomes very important,” said Grillaz.

For example, Vennipag has been operating the burn prescribed since the 1980s, but Grillas says that other urban areas like Calgary, Regina and Mousse Jaw, Sansk have also expressed interest in the prescribed fire.

“As they (urban areas) put forward their skill sets or knowledge base within these urban areas and their planning areas, they are beginning to look at the fire as a management tool,” Grillaz told the CBC.

“It is really exciting.”

Indigestion

In densely populated southern Ontario, Talgrass houses have an important role, but they are in danger. They provide housing for grassroots birds such as protected species, Bobolinks and Eastern Meadowalks in Canada.

“Talgrass communities have been significantly reduced, such as originally in Southern Ontario, originally remained as a native Talgrass for less than one percent. So we are trying to bring back the community,” Adam Brylovsky, Protection and the trail manager said Edam Brilowski. Bruce trail conservancyA non-profit organization that manages the land with Niagra escapement UNESCO World Biosphere.

According to Brylovski, Bruce Trail Conservancy takes ecosystem restoration projects, overshadowing trees and wildflowers in the past.

In 2019, he also recognized the importance of Talgrass Prairi Restoration. After planning and preparing a site, Bruce Trail Conservancy burned its first schedule in 2022.

The native grass needs fire to germinate its seeds, but it can kill aggressive species such as Kentocke’s Bluegrass and Crestded Wheatgrass.

The Royal Botanical Garden (RBG), extending for some 800 hectares on the banks of the Ontario Lake between Burlington and Hamilton, also uses the prescribed burn.

RBG has operated Burns at separate sites since 1997, although they do not do them every year.

This year, the goal was to improve the habitat of the rare plant, according to A. public noticeIt includes Big Bluestames and Golden Roads, both original species include Talgrass Preary Ecosystem.