Alert: Officials to Set Stony Creek on Fire Today

Don't be alarmed when you see smoke coming from Stony Creek today.

Park officials are planning a prescribed ecological burn at 2 p.m. today at as part of its management plan to restore a healthy ecosystem in the park.

The Metroparks’ Natural Resource Department uses controlled burns as a tool to restore forests, prairies and other ecosystems. The burn, which will be conducted by trained personnel and monitored by the Metroparks’ Natural Resource Department, helps restore the ecosystem by suppressing many nonnative species and allowing local species to thrive. In addition, some plant seeds require exposure to fire to emerge from dormancy and grow. Controlled burns also encourage the cycling of nutrients through the soil, which is necessary for healthy plant growth.

In the past, these burns occurred naturally by lightning strikes or were set by American Indians. However, in modern times fires are typically suppressed to prevent property damage, making it necessary to recreate such events to maintain a healthy prairie ecosystem.

Prescribed burns have been implemented at three other Metroparks this spring to preserve prairie and marshland areas.

For more information on prescribed burning, visit www.metroparks.com or contact the Huron-Clinton Metroparks at 810-227-2757.