Maintaining McMaster’s forest health with controlled burns
Nature at McMaster will be conducting controlled burns on McMaster lands this spring to maintain the health of the forest.
The locations for the controlled burns will be the McMaster Forest Nature Preserve, located at 1105 Lower Lions Club Rd. and along Cootes Drive, north of the baseball diamonds.
This year, the plan is to conduct them between mid-March and the end of the month. The university will deliver a mailout to the surrounding neighbourhoods of the west campus and McMaster Forest Nature Preserve.
When the burn dates are confirmed, an update will be posted here, on the Nature at McMaster website and on the university’s Instagram and X (formerly known as Twitter) accounts.
Controlled burns are a common practice in forest management, and they help to maintain the health of the forest by removing dead or diseased plant matter, promoting new growth and reducing the risk of uncontrolled wildfires.
The burns will be conducted by Wildfire Specialists Inc., a licensed burn boss contractor. The university has confirmed that there will be no risk to the public, and staff will be on-site with the contractor. The McMaster Forest Nature Preserve will be closed to the public on the day of the burn.
If you have any questions, please contact stegmanm@mcmaster.ca
