Lane County Parks, in cooperation with the Friends of Buford Park & Mt. Pisgah, as well as US Fish & Wildlife Service and Rivers to Ridges partners, will be conducting an ecological – or prescribed – burn at the Howard Buford Recreation Area (HBRA) today, weather permitting. The ecological burn will help enhance prairie and savanna habitats within the park.

“We are fortunate to have one of the biggest blocks of remaining prairie and oak habitats left in the Willamette Valley here in Howard Buford Recreation Area,” said Friends of Buford Park & Mt. Pisgah Stewardship Director Jason Blazar. “Ecological burns are an important part of preserving that habitat for future generations. We work closely with Lane Regional Air Pollution Authority and our Rivers to Ridges partners throughout the area to make sure burns are safe and will not disrupt nearby neighbors.”

Lane County parks and partners have conducted more than a dozen prescribed burns in HBRA since 1999. Executing ecological burns is always dependent on weather and ensuring atmospheric conditions will disperse smoke upward and away from densely populated areas. If postponed, an update will be provided to the community by notification to the media and on Facebook and Instagram at @LaneCountyParks.

For the safety of park visitors, the following trail closures will be in place during day of the ecological burn: 

Meadowlark East Closures:

• East Trailhead parking lot
• Trail 2 east of Trail 24
• Trail 3 south of Trail 56
• Trail 4 east of Trail 24
• Trail 6 east of Trail 56
• Trail 46

Signs will be posted at the park notifying visitors of the trail closures. A trail map is available online.

Visitors to the park should be aware of localized smoky conditions and the presence of fire crews within the park during the burn.  

Follow Lane County Parks on Facebook and Instagram for updates. 

Other partners in this effort include EcoStudies Institute, TheNature Conservancy, Bureau of Land Management, Oregon Department of Forestry, and Pleasant Hill-Goshen Fire. 

Why the County conducts ecological burning:

Ecological burns are an essential management tool to sustain and expand native plant communities in these rare Willamette Valley habitats. The Willamette Valley was once dominated by savannas and prairies rich with diverse grass and wildflower species. These now-rare ecosystems require regular disturbance, such as fire, to maintain native species and to prevent conversion of open prairie to a closed woodland or forest. Historically, disturbance was provided through regular intentional burning by Native people or ignition by lightning. Many of our native prairie wildflowers, such as camas and Bradshaw’s lomatium, have evolved with fire for thousands of years and flourish after a site is burned. 

Ecological burns in the park’s prairies accomplish several biological and fire safety goals including improved seed germination, removal of built-up thatch, and short-term soil fertilization.  All these factors help native, grassland species thrive, including the declining Western Meadowlark (Oregon’s state bird), which nests in prairies and other open grassland habitats. In addition, prescribed burns protect the open prairie structure, as well as reduce the future risk of high intensity wildfires through the removal of standing, dead vegetation. 

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