The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will be conducting prescribed burns this spring on wildlife management areas managed by the Iowa DNR’s Cedar Wapsi Wildlife Unit in Floyd, Chickasaw, Butler, Bremer and Buchanan counties.
Areas scheduled for prescribed burns are Restoration Marsh in Floyd County; Sweet Marsh, Aldo Leopold, Heffernan, and Walnut Bend in Bremer County; Upper Wapsi and Wapsi Flats in Chickasaw County; Big Marsh, West Fork Access, Lower West Fork, and Blackmun Prairie in Butler County; and Cedar Rock and Troy Mills in Buchanan County.
Prescribed burns are used to improve wildlife habitat, control invasive plant species, restore and maintain native plant communities and reduce wildfire potential and vary in size from a few acres to several hundred acres. Burn units are typically on a 1-5-year rotation.
Prescribed burns typically begin mid to late morning and are completed by late afternoon or early evening between mid-March and mid-May. Burns will be conducted on a day that meets the objectives and weather conditions defined in the burn plan. Any prescribed burns that are not able to be completed this spring will be considered for the burn schedule next fall.
Contact Iowa DNR wildlife biologist Jason Auel at 319-213-2815 with any questions or concerns.