Capture the Benefits of Controlled Burns For Natural Areas
Prescribed fire (controlled burns) for natural areas are preferred over mowing. While mowing does help, it’s not quite as effective as a burn. Prescribed fire is a tool used to accomplish specific ecological goals.
Ecological Restoration Experts
Extend Your Growing Season by Days or Even Weeks
A controlled burn removes dead plant material and darkens the soil by creating ashes and charred material, allowing the soil to warm earlier in the spring. This extra warmth extends the growing season by days or even weeks. Many species of plants produce more flowers in the year immediately following a burn. Founded in 1988, Pizzo & Associates is one of the Midwest’s largest ecological restoration firms with over 170 industry awards. We have the experience and know-how to restore natural environments.
Prescribed Fire
Fire Safety Is Always First & Foremost
We conduct our burns in the safest manner possible. Our burn crew leaders are Illinois Certified Prescribed Burn Managers and all crew members complete National Wildfire Coordinating Group firefighting courses. When conducting a controlled burn, we have taken great measures to ensure that it has been permitted and approved by the proper regulatory agencies.
In order to safely conduct a burn, we start by scheduling the burn based on weather forecasts. Parameters such as temperature, humidity, wind direction/speed, cloud cover, recent precipitation and others help us determine what the likely fire behavior will be during the burn. If the predicted fire behavior is outside of safe parameters, we do not conduct the burn.
Why do you burn natural areas?
Controlled Burns Replicates Nature’s Method
All of Northern Illinois’ native ecosystems and surrounding areas are fire dependent and require the reintroduction of fire for the benefit of native flora and fauna. That may sound complicated, but essentially means that fire is as much a part of the region’s landscape as snow in the winter or storms in the spring. Many species’ seeds need an extended period in freezing conditions to begin germination, and some species need their seeds to be charred or heated before they’ll germinate. Native perennial wildflowers and grasses go dormant each winter. This means that while they have roots that stay alive during the winter, the above ground portion of the plant dies each fall.
A burn removes dead plant material and darkens the soil by creating ashes and charred material, allowing the soil to warm earlier in the spring. This extra warmth extends the growing season by days or even weeks, and the native plants (still alive below the surface) are ready to take advantage of this extra time. Ashes and charred material has beneficial effects in the soil and is a major part of carbon sequestration in prairies. Many species of plants produce more flowers in the year immediately following a burn.
Prescribed Fire Questions
If you see a prescribed fire being applied by our crews near your residence or place of business, know that we have already contacted the local fire department beforehand and that they are ready to quickly assist if needed.
If you know that the area will be burned by Pizzo and Associates, we ask that you call (815) 495-5008 and share your exact location and contact information. With your location, we can refer to our burn maps to let you how much smoke you may experience on the day of the burn so you can take appropriate precautions.
Native plants will re-grow faster than if there had not been a burn. The removal of the insulating layer of dead plant matter from the previous growing season combined with the darkening of the soil by ashes and charred material mean that the soil warms more quickly in the early spring, allowing plants to germinate sooner. This early growth allows the growing season to be extended by as much as two or three weeks.
No. They will instinctively run away or hide deep underground. All native animals have a way of adapting to changing weather, and they have a way of adapting to the presence of fire as well.
If you have a plastic greenhouse or some other highly heat sensitive item near the burn area, call (815) 495-5008, and leave a message with your address and a description of the item.
If you feel something was damaged during a burn please call (815) 495-5008, and we will arrange for someone to meet you as soon as possible.
We have 4 locations with over 90 employees allowing us to service the entire Midwest with a majority of our projects being located in:
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Michigan
- Wisconsin
- and more…
Don't Wait!
Get started with a controlled burn & ensure your environment starts the year healthy
If you’re ready to book or have any questions about our services, don’t hesitate to get in touch. We’re always here to help you make the best choices for our environment. Complete the form below or call us at (815) 495-2300.