A small controlled burn of the native vegetation on the east side of the Samuel T. Dana Building is planned in the month of April, according to the Grounds and Waste Division of Plant Building and Grounds Services.

This activity is planned with the support of Bob Grese, associate professor of Landscape Architecture at SNRE and director of the Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum.

Experienced contractor PlantWise, which specializes in ecological burns and native plant restoration, will conduct the burn. It is recommended for ecological reasons to have the prescribed burns sometime during the next two weeks - the week of March 30-April 14 - when weather conditions are appropriate.

The Department of Public Safety and Occupational Safety and Environmental Health's Fire Safety Services as well as the Ann Arbor Fire Department are involved in this planning and will issue the appropriate permits. The burns will be conducted during conditions that minimize the direct effect and persistence of smoke.

Fire is an important land management tool and a critical regenerative process for several local ecosystems. Many areas treated with fire have more blooming wildflowers in the following years. In addition, fire helps control many of the exotic invasive plants that are reducing the native biodiversity in natural areas.

For more information about prescribed burning in Michigan, visit the Michigan Prescribed Fire Council's Web site www.firecouncil.org.

For additional questions or concerns, contact University Forester Marvin Pettway at marvinp@umich.edu.