A landowner workshop is scheduled for March 16 from 9 a.m. to noon to discuss prescribed fires.
Linda Byer, District 2 wildlife biologist at the Kankakee Fish and Wildlife Headquarters in North Judson, said the class will teach landowners how to do a prescribed burn on their property.
“That is a burn with a plan,” explained Byer. “It is for a specific location to do a specific job. Another term is controlled burn. It is a managed fire.”
She specificed that this workshop will be preparing for prairie grass fires.
“It’s the best way to manage native prairie grasses – prairie grasses that grow in a specific time period. The warm season is from May to August,” Byer said.
Byer will cover a lot of aspects during the workshop.
“I have a powerpoint presentation that goes through and explains the reasoning for burning, the different techniques, a little bit about fire behavior and how to manage that. If the conditions are good after the powerpoint presentation, we will go out and burn a little patch of prairie grasses,” said Byer.
The workshop is free and open to anyone interested. Byer asks that you register for the workshop by calling (574) 896-3572 or email her at lbyer@dnr.in.gov. The workshop will be held at the Kankakee Fish and Wildlife Headquarters at 4320 W. Toto Road in North Judson.
