Prescribed Timber Burn in Jefferson County Park

Burning can look destructive. It leaves a path of charred remains but from those remains come new life. Yesterday you may have noticed smoke coming from Jefferson County Park. A small section of Oak/ Hickory Forest underwent a prescribed burn to set back invasive species and encourage the growth of native plants.

Some forests may look healthy at first but if they are full of invasive species, they are being deceptive. Invasive species provide minimal food supply for the animals, especially birds who need high protein food sources. They also shade out our variety of native plants and in turn offer only a few food sources. Jefferson County Park has seen the most damage from Bush Honeysuckle, Autumn Olive, and Garlic Mustard. A prescribed fire helps to keep these invasives at bay while encouraging the growth of our native plant community.