With plenty of snow still on the ground and cold temperatures continuing longer than expected, Ann Arbor officials may be delayed in starting an ecological restoration program that has gotten great results over the last 20 years.
Ann Arbor's Natural Area Preservation Manager Dave Borneman says controlled burns are a powerful tool used to help enrich the soul, remove dead thatch, and allow diverse native plant and animal communities to thrive.
The city targets a low impact timeframe for these burns. Doing them in late winter or early spring means little or no people in the parks, dormant plant life and lower smoke volumes.
Crews will be executing the burns weekdays between noon and six.
More information on Ann Arbor's controlled burns can be found here.
— Andrew Cluley is the Ann Arbor beat reporter, and anchor for 89.1 WEMU News. Contact him at 734.487.3363 or email him acluley@emich.edu.
