Campus Life

Prescribed burn to take place at Arboretum between April 1 and May 25

The 12-acre burn site, circled in red, is located near the intersection of Big Hollow and Tower roads in College Township.  Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Arboretum at Penn State, in collaboration with The Nature Conservancy and the Pennsylvania Game Commission, will conduct a prescribed burn on a 12-acre portion of the Arboretum site between April 1 and May 25.

The operation will take place within a single workday during this timeframe. Follow-up notifications will be provided as the schedule is finalized, including a pre-burn notice 24 hours before the beginning of the operation, which requires favorable weather conditions.

The burn site will be located in College Township near Big Hollow and Tower roads. The prescribed burn is being conducted as part of the Arboretum’s ongoing prairie restoration project, through which an old livestock pasture is being converted into a more species-diverse meadow or “prairie patch” containing native grasses and wildflowers.

This spring’s prescribed fire will be the third such operation the Arboretum has carried out with The Nature Conservancy and the Pennsylvania Game Commission. The burn will be conducted in accordance with the Pennsylvania Prescribed Burning Practices Act (Act 17 of 2009) and associated prescribed fire standards.

Last Updated March 15, 2017

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