Nature's cleanser

Fire is nature's cleanser. But where natural fire isn't safe -- such as in the middle of a burgeoning city in north-central Minnesota -- humans must step in and provide the cleanser.

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Last week a fire was set in the Northland Arboretum on seven acres of land owned by The Nature Conservancy. The purpose was to restore the Arboretum's jackpine savanna, one of five remaining in Minnesota. The savanna is in danger of being lost due to overgrowth. For a landscape to be considered a savanna rather than a forest, the overhead canopy of trees cannot exceed 25 percent. Pines in the Arboretum number 15 to 20 per acre and the expanding canopy is blocking the sun and stunting the growth of native grasses.

Last week a fire was set in the Northland Arboretum on seven acres of land owned by The Nature Conservancy. The purpose was to restore the Arboretum's jackpine savanna, one of five remaining in Minnesota. The savanna is in danger of being lost due to overgrowth.

The fire was set May 4 by staff from The Nature Conservancy with help from Americorps, the Brainerd Fire Department and the DNR.

Weather dictates when it's safe to set a prescribed fire. Temperature, wind and humidity must be right. Mid-afternoon, when humidity is typically at its lowest, is not a good time to burn, so most fires are set later in the afternoon. A steady wind from a single direction is best to avert sudden changes in the direction of the fire.

Last year an Americorps crew prepared the acreage by burning brush, downed trees, logs and other fuels.

"When this project is done and the land begins to green up, people will see the good that fire can do," said Colin McQuiggan, land steward for The Nature Conservancy. "They'll see flowers and native grasses come back. It will start looking like a jackpine savanna again."

In addition to the ecological benefits, controlled fire eliminates the underbrush that can fuel an uncontrolled fire.

"We'd rather deal with a fire on our own terms," said Kent Montgomery, conservation coordinator for The Nature Conservancy.

Last week a fire was set in the Northland Arboretum on seven acres of land owned by The Nature Conservancy. The purpose was to restore the Arboretum's jackpine savanna, one of five remaining in Minnesota. The savanna is in danger of being lost due to overgrowth.

The fire was set at 6:30 p.m. and burned for two hours. The Brainerd Fire Department and DNR had fire trucks on the scene in case the fire got out of control. McQuiggan remained on site throughout the night to monitor the smoldering embers.

""It went phenomenally," McQuiggan said of the fire. "We had no problems. The weather was perfect, the wind blew smoke away from buildings and major roads. We had good dispersal and no complaints."

Higher winds Thursday kept McQuiggan and his crew patrolling the area all day.

Prior to the burn, TNC staff briefed the 10-member Americorps crew on the objectives of the fire. The crew came from Denver and has worked on burns elsewhere in Minnesota and North Dakota for the past three weeks.

"All of our fires are planned around working with Americorps," said Todd Holman, program director at The Nature Conservancy. "We don't have a full-time fire crew. Americorps is the backbone of our operation."

Americorps, made up of recent college graduates, is a domestic version of the Peace Corps. In addition to fire training, crews learn first aid, disaster relief assistance and how to tutor students in inner city schools.

Crews work together Jan. 25-Nov. 10. They get several breaks over that time to travel or go home. Each crew member is paid $5,000 for his or her services.

"I'm from Boston and I wasn't even aware that this was done," Brian Burke, an Americorps crew member, said of the prescribed burn. "Getting out on the land is great. It's totally hands-on. I've always had an environmental consciousness, but never had this type of experience."

It will take several years to restore the Arboretum's entire jackpine savanna. This fall or next spring another 14 acres might be burned, McQuiggan said.

VINCE MEYER, outdoors editor, can be reached at vince.meyer@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5862