Now through April is prime time for prescribed burns, and the Habitat Strike Team – part of the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center in East Alton – is gearing up for a busy season.
Prescribed burns are controlled applications of fire to the landscape by a team of experts under specific weather conditions. Kathryn Krydynski (CRY-din-skee), Habitat Strike Team Coordinator explains what they do.
The Habitat Strike Team works within a 90-mile radius of NGRREC’s Field Station and depending on seasonal conditions, may conduct or assist on at least 25 burns in a season, covering over 6,200 acres. For more information on the Habitat Strike Team, go to http://www.ngrrec.org/HST/