(Davenport, IA) -- Quad Cities residents may see a lot of smoke in the area on Friday as the City of Davenport conducts controlled prairie burns.
“The City of Davenport has long recognized the benefits of native vegetation and uses them throughout the City, including parks, rain gardens, bioretention cells and prairies,” city leaders said in a release on Thursday. “Native plants help improve water quality, reduce Stormwater run-off and provide important habitat for pollinators and living creatures of all kinds.” Officials say burning is vital to their health.
“What the public may not know is native plants require fire, or periodic burning, to thrive and to control the spread of invasive and noxious plant species,” Urban Conservationist Brittany Ackerland said. “Because fire is vital to the health and productivity of these important ecological systems, the City conducts controlled burns in the spring and fall to keep these natural assets working.”
The series of controlled burns to take place this spring will be conducted by both the City’s Parks and Recreation and Public Works Department. Burns will start on Friday, April 23 at Lindsay Park. Two additional locations will be scheduled for controlled burns before mid-May. Those sites include a prairie situated just north of Duck Creek Golf Course and the Eastern Avenue Library.
You can read more from their release below:
“Because controlled burns rely heavily on different aspects of the weather such as: wind speed, wind direction, relative humidity, plant moisture content, etc. we cannot provide the exact date and time for all burns that will take place; however, at a minimum, adjacent/affected property owners will be notified and signage placed when burns are being conducted.
Burn permits and prescribed burn plans are in place for the burns to be conducted and the Fire Department will be on site to assist with burn control as needed.
When the burns are conducted, weather conditions are monitored for wind conditions that will conduct smoke away from occupied buildings. However, closeness of some buildings to the burn areas may mean that smoke will be present and may enter buildings despite best efforts to prevent it. It is recommended that persons with smoke allergies or asthma keep their windows closed when a burn is being conducted and for several hours afterwards. These persons may also wish to leave their homes if they are able during the burn to avoid smoke exposure.
Visit www.davenportiowa.com/naturalresources and click on the Controlled Burns tab for more information.”
(Photo by the City of Davenport)