Burning also dries out the ground, which is advantageous for our native grasses. Furstenberg Prairie lies just southwest of Fuller Road, a very busy street. Smoking up Fuller Road would be a serious traffic hazard, so the NAP crew waited for a day with the right wind before doing the burn there. We don't get northeast winds often in Ann Arbor, so by the time weather conditions were right many of the cool-season grasses, which were the target of the burn, had already greened up more than we would have liked. Green grass doesn't burn very well, so this was probably one of our less successful burns of 1996 year.
Preparation There are extensive preparations before each burn.
All staff and volunteers are trained, and burn plans are formulated for each site. Burn breaks are cut where needed. On the day of the burn, neighboring property owners and the city and township fire departments are notified. Equipment is checked and the crew is briefed on the burn plan, including emergency procedures. The picture at right shows us just starting to ignite.