If you see smoky skies next month, chances are you’re seeing prescribed burns taking place on the Vineyard.
The Nature Conservancy is planning to conduct prescribed burns on three on-Island properties they manage — Katama Airfield in Edgartown, Bamford Preserve, next to Slough Farm in Edgartown, and Frances Newhall Woods Preserve, nestled between West Tisbury and Chilmark.
Rebekah Myers, the conservancy’s stewardship manager on the Vineyard, told The Times the “burn window” is between March 1 and May 31, although an exact date hasn’t been set just yet. In particular, weather conditions can impact if and when the operation can go forward, which will be done by Star Tree Wildfire Protection, a fire protection service from New Jersey.
The burns at Katama Airfield and Frances Newhall Woods Preserve are funded by a $65,100 habitat management grant from the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. Myers said the conservancy will be covering the prescribed burn costs for Bamford Preserve.
According to Myers, the prescribed burns help suppress non-native plant species while strengthening rare native plants.
“The ecosystems are rare sandplain grasslands,” she said. “Their native species are adapted to fire, so that actually promotes their growth.”
Myers said a major benefit is that the burns help root growth for indigenous species, which is where most of the carbon is held by the plants.
This will be the first time Myers will be overseeing prescribed burns on the Island, and she is looking forward to it.
“There’s a lot of unknowns for me as far as how it’ll operate, but I have a lot of faith in our contractors,” she said.
Myers said while the operations are “safe and controlled,” having fewer people and traffic in the prescribed burn areas helps to “keep a safe environment.”
