Campus Life

Arboretum to host discussion about use of fire to restore ecosystems

The event precedes a controlled burn planned for this spring

Crews perform a prescribed burn at The Arboretum at Penn State in a previous year. The Arboretum will host a discussion on using fire for ecosystem health on April 26, in advance of a controlled burn this spring. Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A discussion of the role of fire in ecosystem health will enable the campus and local community to learn how Penn State uses controlled burns to manage and restore natural landscapes.

Hosted by The Arboretum at Penn State, the presentation by four members of the University faculty and staff will take place from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, April 26, in 112 Forest Resources Building on the University Park campus.

Later this spring, the Arboretum will conduct a controlled burn on a 12-acre portion of its lands adjacent to campus as part of an ongoing re-creation of a prairie/meadow containing native grasses and wildflowers. Conducted in collaboration with The Nature Conservancy and the Pennsylvania Game Commission, the burn will help to convert a former livestock pasture into a habitat that is now rare in Pennsylvania. The burn site is located in College Township near Big Hollow and Tower roads.

The operation, which requires favorable weather conditions, will take place within a single workday between now and May 25. When the date has been finalized, notifications — including a preburn notice 24 hours before the operation begins — will be provided.

 

Last Updated April 27, 2017

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