University Bay marsh fire planned today

Weather permitting, a prescribed burn for sections of the 1918 Marsh (part of University Bay Marsh) will get under way this morning, March 29, university officials say.

As a lesson for students and as part of ongoing efforts to preserve the ecological health of the marsh, the burn will be conducted by the UW–Madison Grounds Department in cooperation with a workshop in Landscape Architecture taught by professor Evelyn Howell. According to Howell, the marsh will be burned in patches as part of an experiment to determine the best way to use fire as a management tool for the marsh.

In the 1918 Marsh, fires will be used to get rid of undecomposed plant debris and to help a restored prairie on the edge of the marsh get a head start on the growing season. The fire may also help keep the marsh’s cattail population in check. Cattails have taken over parts of the marsh that were once open water and the fire may help keep the open water needed by waterfowl and other marsh life.

For more information about the project, contact Evelyn Howell, (608) 263-6964; eahowell@facstaff.wisc.edu