We had our first prescribed burn at Tippesaukee Farm in May! It was quite exciting. Quercus Land Stewardship conducted the burn as part of their efforts to give oak and other native plants the chance to regenerate in one of our woodlots.
The fire can activate native seeds lying dormant in the soil. We already opened up two areas designated as oak openings. Along with mowing and selective use of herbicides, the burn helps us to beat back multiflora rose and other invasive plants.
If you’ve never witnessed a prescribed burn, you can get a better sense of what it’s like in the two-minute video above. To our surprise, the fire was much more controlled than we anticipated. Nevertheless, the next day Quercus workers came back to put out some downed trees that were still burning. Quercus was pleased with the amount of brush kill the fire accomplished, but this is the first in what will be a series of burns.
Our woods are already a very pleasant place to stroll with mown logging roads and foot paths. In fact, a few weeks before the burn, we had a Geologic Walking Tour led by Eric Carson that included a stroll through the woods. STAY TUNED: in August we will announce our September events, including one where you can appreciate the woods. It will be called, “Sensing Forest Within Us – a walk of reconnection” led by a master naturalist.
Crosscurrents Heritage Center 