Controlled Burn at Brandywine Creek State Park Aims to Boost Native Wildlife and Plant Growth

 DNREC uses controlled, or prescribed, burns to manage meadows and create more suitable habitats for native species like, clockwise from left, the monarch butterfly, common yellowthroat bird, eastern bluebird and orange sulphur butterfly. DNREC Photos

 

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control is working with the Delaware Department of Agriculture to execute a controlled burn at Brandywine Creek State Park in February or March. This prescribed burn will help manage nearly 30 acres of meadowland near the park’s nature center.

While much of the natural area managed by the DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation is forested, Brandywine Creek State Park is known for its vast meadowland views divided by blue gneiss stone walls. The last controlled burn at BCSP was held in 2013.

Prescribed burning is a meadow management technique, which mimics natural fire and is used periodically in place of annual mowing, to halt progression of meadowland so it does not become a forest. Additionally, this controlled burn should encourage the growth of native wildflowers and warm season grasses. This plant growth creates more suitable habitats for nesting grassland birds like the eastern bluebird and common yellowthroat, native pollinator insects like the orange sulphur and monarch butterflies, and other grassland-dependent animals.

The DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation is coordinating with DNREC’s Division of Air Quality and the DDA Forest Service to perform the burn on a single day, to be determined by weather, personnel availability and open burning approval. BCSP will be closed on the date of the burn and the exact date will be announced on the park’s Facebook and Instagram accounts, once it is known.

About DNREC

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities, and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation oversees more than 26,000 acres in 17 state parks and the Brandywine Zoo. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter) or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Shauna McVey, shauna.mcvey@delaware.gov; Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov

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Forest Service to conduct controlled burn in Lewes

LEWES, Del. (April 22, 2021) —  The Delaware Forest Service plans to conduct a 48-acre controlled burn in the City of Lewes on Friday, April 23, beginning around mid-morning. The burn area will be closed to the public. Signs will be posted on nearby roads before and during burning. Residents and visitors may see or smell smoke but should not be alarmed. If you encounter smoke on the highway, slow down, turn on your vehicle’s lights and drive appropriately for the conditions. People are kindly asked to not visit the area as a precaution and to allow the crew to control the burn safely.

Lewes Rx Burn

The 48-acre site is primarily coastal marsh with phragmites and other vegetation. The purpose of the burn is to reduce hazardous fuel buildup and restore native marsh habitat. The area was last burned in 2008. The area has been treated several times over the past ten years to control phragmites, (Phragmites australis), which outcompetes native vegetation and lowers the local plant biodiversity.

“This burn is vital to reduce the fuel threat in City of Lewes to help ensure that a large wildfire does not occur in the future,” stated Kyle Hoyd, Delaware’s assistant state forester who directs its wildland fire program. “Over the long term, we hope to engage with our natural resource partners in a careful process to help restore the area’s native habitat.”

Prescribed burns – also known as “Rx burns” – are an effective tool for a variety of land management objectives: site preparation, hazard fuel mitigation, invasive species control, and wildlife habitat enhancement. Low-intensity controlled fires can reduce the danger of a high-intensity wildfire in the future. A prescription is a set of conditions that considers the safety of the public and fire staff, weather, and probability of meeting the burn’s overall objectives. Rx burns are only “prescribed” when the site conditions fall into pre-identified parameters that maximize safety and reduce smoke impacts. Important factors include temperature, fuel moisture, wind speed, direction, relative humidity, and proximity to adjacent structures and populations.

Lewes Rx Burn Map

Overview of Lewes Rx Burn Plan and Site Map

As part of its wildland fire program, the Delaware Forest Service works with private landowners and other public agencies year-round to identify opportunities where burning might be an effective practice and then carefully develops plans to conduct the burn at the site. Last year, the agency completed burns on 158 acres but postponed projects involving another 379 acres, primarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Contact info:

Kyle Hoyd, Assistant State Forester
Delaware Forest Service
kyle.hoyd@delaware.gov 
302-698-4548 (office)

John Petersen, Community Relations Officer
Delaware Forest Service
john.petersen@delaware.gov
302-698-4552 (office)
302-653-6505 (Blackbird State Forest)
302-233-8180 (cell)