The Forest Preserve District is testing water pumps, assessing burn plans, and readying crews in preparation for the spring burn season. The season typically lasts from early March through late April. Across the county, trained crews will burn in preserves where conditions are right for safety, smoke management and the type of burn needed in a given habitat.

Last fall, the District conducted 104 separate burns, totaling more than 2,080 acres. The sites ranged from large, open wetlands such as Cranberry Slough in the Palos area to small patches of woodland such as at Thatcher Woods in River Forest. The 2012 fall burn season lasted longer than previous years due to warmer, drier weather. This extended burn window helped the District log a successful season.

Photographer and videographer Joe Occhiuzzo even took his drone to the sky last November to record prescribed burns in the preserves. Check out his remarkable aerial video of a burn at Bluff Spring Fen.

During burn season, residents can find out where prescribed burns are happening on our Closures & Alerts Page.