Southfield

Southfield plans prescribed burn to restore nature preserve

By Jennie Miller
C & G Staff Writer

» Click on image to view full size « The proposed burn area of the Valley Woods Nature Preserve as part of a wetland restoration effort encompasses 5.5 acres near Telegraph and Civic Center Drive. The grant is funded through the Environmental Protection Agency. The proposed burn area of the Valley Woods Nature Preserve as part of a wetland restoration effort encompasses 5.5 acres near Telegraph and Civic Center Drive. The grant is funded through the Environmental Protection Agency.

SOUTHFIELD — Southfield has received federal grant funds to conduct a prescribed burn of five acres of the Valley Woods Nature Preserve, on the city’s west side, in a wetland restoration effort expected to take place in the coming weeks.

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Grant was awarded to the Alliance of Rouge Communities by the Environmental Protection Agency. Southfield is among several communities in the region whose proposed projects will benefit from the grant.

“There are a couple other projects being done in other areas of southeast Michigan as well,” said Brandy Siedlaczek, Southfield’s storm water manager, including another prescribed burn in Detroit. “We have an agreement with our watershed group to do our specific site location, and each of the communities have their agreements as well. We wanted to bundle a bunch of projects so the odds of getting (the grant) were better.”

Of the grant funds awarded to the alliance, $290,000 is heading Southfield’s way.

“We’re lucky to get some of this project money,” said Merrie Carlock, Southfield’s landscape architect.

A prescribed burn is a technique that uses fire in a controlled setting to manage wildlife habitats by attacking invasive species and stimulating the growth of native plants. In this case, it will remove phragmites australis and reed canary grass, invasive species that have been degrading the Valley Woods wetland.

“We’re trying to restore it back to its natural function,” Siedlaczek said.

Valley Woods as a whole is 128 acres of nature preserve along the Rouge River, from 10 Mile to 12 Mile, near Telegraph. The proposed burn would comprise just 4 percent of the total acreage.

“That is an area that is natural wetlands; it doesn’t have any trees in it,” Carlock said, adding that it is vital for storm water management. “It’s an important area taking in water from roads and building rooftops and holding it after storms, and it goes in the river.”

The burn isn’t the only restorative work that will be done in that area. The invasive species, combined with digging done years ago when Southfield was largely farmland, have combined to degrade the wetland.

“People dug channels in there to drain them,” Carlock said. “We’re going to close off those channels and start restoring the hydrology of the area, (and) get rid of these plants and put in new native plants.”

“We’ll be filling in some of the manmade ditches that drain the wetland unnaturally … so there’ll be a bit more water down there than it currently has, and it’ll be acting more as a wetland,” Siedlaczek added. “(The effort will) slow down the water, reduce erosion, provide habitat in that area and reduce pollution in the water by filtering out pollutants that come into the system.”

The exact timing of the burn will depend on the weather, which has been, shall we say, unique this winter.

“It’s all weather dependant,” Siedleczak explained. “It either needs to be frozen or warm. This time of year is usually the perfect time to do a project like this, but nothing is frozen. Sometime this spring we’ll do the burn, and replant with native plants in the late spring or early summer. If we get a lot of rain like we did last year, we’ll have to plant later.”

They’re also waiting on a permit from the Southfield Fire Department to allow for the burn to take place. They’ve been working with Acting Fire Chief and Fire Marshal Jim Dundas.

“We’ve never had a permit like this before,” Dundas said. “I’m in the fire prevention business, so we don’t typically allow this in the city of Southfield. It does, however, fit in the fire code, and there is a process for it. I wanted to understand it. I did a lot of research on it. I’ve taken these folks through the ringer — they’ve proven that they have a very safe procedure for this. I asked them if they’ve ever had a fire get away from them … and I can truly guarantee that there won’t be one on my watch.”

The city is working with Environmental Consulting and Tehcnology and Plantwise Restoration, both Ann Arbor-based companies.

“I think what we have here is a really good project and of high value for the natural ecosystem at the Valley Woods location,” said Gary Crawford, senior biologist with ECT.

While not required, Parks and Recreation Department staff and representatives from both companies presented the plans to the Southfield City Council Feb. 13. Council approval is not needed for the project.

“I think they’re going about it the right way,” said Southfield City Councilman Jeremy Moss. “By alerting us and taking precautions to alert the public. … there is little to no room for error.”

City Councilman Sidney Lantz expressed his disapproval, citing safety concerns with the burn method.

“I think burning causes a lot of pollution,” he said. “Our land is polluted as it is. … Burning is dangerous. I believe there is a better method.”

Plantwise has conducted nearly 600 prescribed burns covering about 6,000 acres throughout the state, including in Detroit, Rochester, Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, Holland, Kalamazoo and the Metro Parks, Mindell said.

“I’ve got a great general liability policy, and I’ve never had a claim on that policy,” said Dave Mindell of Plantwise. “We’ve never had an incident where we had to contact the fire department for any kind of backup, so we’ve kept the fire where we wanted it to be.

“The smoke is going where we want it to go,” he said, adding that up and away from Telegraph is the targeted direction. “We’re looking for conditions that will take the smoke back to primarily existing natural areas, well above the height of houses and residences. (There are) atmospheric conditions that allow for rapid smoke rising. We’re trying to target a weekend for burning to minimize the amount of traffic that’s going to be exposed to the smoke on the day the burn is going to take place.”

Parks and Recreation Department employees are also communicating with the condominium association that sits to the south of the proposed burn site, and with DENSO International America Inc., in whose front yard much of the site sits.
 

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Jennie Miller at jmiller@candgnews.com or at (586)279-1108.