(CREDIT FOR ALL PHOTOS: Forest Preserve District of Kane County)

Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. But where there’s fire, there isn’t always extreme danger.

That’s certainly true in the case of carefully controlled, prescribed burn in your local Kane County forest preserves.

Each spring and fall, the Forest Preserve District conducts prescribed burns across prairies, woodlands and wetlands in an effort to improve or maintain the ecological health of a site.

These carefully controlled burns release nutrients from burned plant materials, encourage seed growth, and open the woodland floor to sunlight so native wildflowers and plants can flourish. Prescribed burns also reduce the abundance of non-native brush such as buckthorn.

Grassland/wetland and woodland sites targeted for this burn season include portions of the following:

• Almon Underwood Prairie Forest Preserve in Kaneville
• Andersen Woods Forest Preserve in St. Charles
• Arlene Shoemaker Forest Preserve in Aurora
• Aurora West Forest Preserve in Aurora
• Barnes Forest Preserve in Aurora
• Big Rock Forest Preserve in Big Rock
• Blackberry Maples Forest Preserve in Elburn
• Bliss Woods Forest Preserve in Sugar Grove
• Bolcum Road Wetlands in St. Charles
• Braeburn Marsh Forest Preserve in Batavia
• Burlington Prairie Forest Preserve in Sycamore
• Burnidge Forest Preserve in Elgin
• Campton Forest Preserve in St. Charles
• Culver Forest Preserve in Aurora
• Dick Young Forest Preserve in Batavia
• Elburn Forest Preserve in Elburn
• Fabyan Forest Preserve in Geneva
• Fitchie Creek Forest Preserve in Elgin
• Fox River Bluff West Forest Preserve in St. Charles
• Freeman Kame-Meagher Forest Preserve in Gilberts
• Great Western Trail
• Grunwald Farms Forest Preserve in Elburn
• Hampshire Forest Preserve in Hampshire
• Hannaford Woods/Nickels Farm Forest Preserve in Sugar Grove
• Helm Woods Forest Preserve in Barrington
• Hoscheit Woods Forest Preserve in St. Charles
• Jon J. Duerr Forest Preserve in South Elgin
• Kenyon Farm Forest Preserve in South Elgin
• Lake Run Forest Preserve in Sugar Grove
• LeRoy Oakes Forest Preserve in St. Charles
• Les Arends Forest Preserve in Batavia
• Lone Grove Forest Preserve in Maple Park
• Meissner-Corron Forest Preserve in St. Charles
• Mill Creek Forest Preserve in Batavia
• Muirhead Springs Forest Preserve in Hampshire
• Oakhurst Forest Preserve in Aurora
• Pingree Grove Forest Preserve in Hampshire
• Prairie Green Forest Preserve in Geneva
• Raceway Woods Forest Preserve in Carpentersville
• Raymond Street Forest Preserve in South Elgin
• Rutland Forest Preserve in Hampshire
• Sauer Prairie Kame Forest Preserve in Elburn
• Schweitzer Woods Forest Preserve in West Dundee
• Stony Creek in Elgin
• Tekakwitha Woods Forest Preserve in St. Charles
• Tyler Creek Forest Preserve in Elgin

Before a controlled burn, trained staff survey the preserve and create a detailed plan of action. They then carefully monitor the weather and wait until conditions are right, to minimize the chance of smoke blowing toward homes and roads.

Staff also notify residents via mail, so that those with health concerns can avoid the smoke. Information is also posted on the district website at www.kaneforest.com and on social media, by searching @forestpreserve.

For more information on prescribed burns, contact the Forest Preserve District of Kane County at 630-232-5980.

SOURCE: Forest Preserve District of Kane County news release