HOLLAND, Mich. -- A single fire spread through three county parks in Ottawa County Sunday, but they were all set intentionally and controlled by professionals.
The fire was sparked around 5 p.m. Sunday afternoon and burned almost 30 acres at Hemlock Crossing County Park, Robinson Forest Park, and Hiawatha Forest Park.
The parks prescribe these fires once every five years to help diversify county park ecosystems.
Officials say prescribed ecological burns are a way of managing fire-dependent ecosystems in a safe and controlled fashion. And they're also pretty cool to see.
Not only do these fires restore and bring back native grass land, but experts we spoke with say it helps eliminate invasive species like Brome Grass and Spotted Knapp weed.
David Mindell, burn boss with PlantWise Restoration, was brought in to oversee the blaze. The burn line used a drip torch filled with diesel gas to ignite the flames and kept 90 gallons of water on standby just in case the wind picked up the flames.
The cost for the three prescribed burns is about $5,000 for 30 acres, a cost effective way to rejuvenate the soil and eliminate unwanted species.
Each burn lasts about thirty minute,s and in just a few days native plants will start to grow, providing food for wildlife resulting in even more diversity following the fire.
