Prescribed Burn. The prescribed burn was conducted on the Commons Ford Prairie on Friday, August 9. The burn plan was implemented under the supervision of Fire Management Specialist Glen Gillman and Chief Josh Portie of the Austin Fire Departments. More than 20 firefighters participated in the burn from various Austin area units (Ce-Bar, Lake Travis, Westlake Hills), Texas Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife and Austin Wildlands Division/Balcones Canyonlands Preserve.

We were fortunate to be able to have representatives from Commons Ford PRO, Austin PARD, Travis Audubon Society and local neighborhood associations and property owners present to witness the burn. The process was nothing short of amazing to watch. The experienced crew worked professionally and diligently to ensure a safe and effective burn. The burn, from first fire to smolder, took about two hours. Firefighters from the close-by Ce-Bar unit regularly checked the prairie to insure that there were no flare-ups.

While we wanted to make sure that we stayed out of the way of the operation, we found that the AFD team allowed us to safely observe the entire experience which included the opportunity to listen to the pre- and post-fire briefing. In fact, Liaison Officer Justice Jones was present with us throughout the day and made himself readily available to answer any questions.

Many of you know about prescribed burns but witnessing one first hand is an educational and exhilarating experience. It is the essence of the word “controlled” in that all variables are constantly checked to ensure that the fire remains in the designated area. Further, you see the immediate evidence of the removal of fuel which can result in just the opposite – out-of-control wildfires.

From the perspective of the restoration project, this burn will help eradicate the remaining invasive plant species on the tract. Interestingly, birds were immediately returning to the prairie within 24 hours of the burn. Significant numbers of Morning Doves, Scissor-tailed Flycatchers and Lark Sparrows were picking through the issues and eating the seeds on the remaining stalks of common sunflower and standing cypress.

You can visit our Flickr page and click on the “Prescribed Burn – 2013” set to see photos from the burn. If you have never seen a prescribed fire, it is worth a ten minute viewing.

We sincerely thank the Austin Fire Department team and its partners as well as Joan Singh of Austin Parks and Recreation Department for making this important burn happen.

Next Steps. We will be monitoring the impact of the burn in the coming weeks and expect to see a quick response from the native grasses, particularly if we receive any rain. The burn itself should substantially re-invigorate the natives already on the prairie. We will spot treat with herbicide any invasives which re-emerge and will follow with a supplemental planting of native grasses and wildflowers in the first quarter of 2014. We are in the process of preparing a grant application which will match funds already available to make sure that we can proceed with these important additional steps. If we are able to do so, we should be well on our way to creating a long-term sustainable native prairie.

Thanks to all of you for your continuing support of this important project.

-Ed Fair
Commons Ford Prairie Restoration Organization