Parts of The Arboretum will be set ablaze this month. Here’s why.
Flames near the University of Kentucky campus and at one of Lexington’s most treasured natural areas might normally be cause for alarm, but that won’t be the case later this month, when a prescribed fire is planned at The Arboretum, State Botanical Garden of Kentucky.
The controlled burn at the Alumni Drive site will help native seeds reach the soil and remove accumulated thatch that can keep plants from getting the sun they need, UK said in a news release Friday.
“Prescribed fire is an important tool that is used to manage natural areas across Kentucky and protect rare species and our natural heritage,” Jessica Slade, The Arboretum’s native plants collection manager, said in the release.
“Prescribed fire can also help control the spread of non-native invasive species in the meadow and allow easy access for management during the growing season after the burn,” according to the release.
Without such management techniques, the meadows would eventually become woods, the release stated.
“The plant communities that these meadows represent are historically adapted to natural disturbances such as fire and the grazing of large ungulates like bison,” Slade said in the release. “We manage these areas with prescribed fire to simulate those natural disturbances.”
During the burn, visitors will not be able to access the areas around the 1.6-acre Shawnee Hills meadow and the .25-acre Pennyrile meadow for safety reasons, UK said in the release.
A date has not been set, but officials hope to complete the burn before the end of March. UK said the weather will dictate the timing, as burning can only be done when conditions are optimal for the smoke to disperse.
This is not the first time a prescribed fire has been set at The Arboretum. The same areas were burned in 2021, according to the release.
A “burn boss” from the Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves who has been certified by the Kentucky Prescribed Fire Council will oversee the burning. Arboretum staff and volunteers from Floracliff Nature Sanctuary and Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill also plan to be present.
The sections of The Arboretum covered by the burn are part of the Walk Across Kentucky, which was planted with native species collected from throughout Kentucky in 1991 and represents the seven physiographic regions of the state.
This story was originally published March 9, 2024 at 7:00 AM.
