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CANCELED: Managed burn June 1

Posted on May 22, 2022 by Sonoma Valley Sun

FIRE WEATHER CANCELS MANAGED BURN — IS THAT 2022 OR WHAT

If you detect smoke coming from the area of Grove Street west of Carriger Road on June 1, don’t freak out — a controlled burn is planned for the Van Hoosear Wildflower Preserve between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. 

Carefully modernized and managed by Sonoma Ecology Center, the ancient technique makes way for native plant communities, and also helps protect against wildfires by removing excess flammable vegetation and managing invasive plants.

The event on the grounds of the 162-acre preserve will be monitored by fire professionals and air quality agencies. It was originally scheduled for May 25.

Previously successful controlled burns on the site helped eradicate some non-native plants and allow for native growth to reclaim their space.

One particularly pesky plant is Medusahead, an invasive grass that creates a thick layer of persistent, flammable thatch that smothers native grasses and wildflowers; it’s prickly, so cattle avoid it.

Sonoma Ecology Center has worked with the Preserve’s landowners since 2004 to manage its meadows, grasslands, oak woodlands and riparian habitats. 

 

 




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