Above / Controlled fire at Hobson West Ponds in 2020. (Naperville Park District Photo)
The Naperville Park District will deploy parks crews to various areas throughout the Park District to conduct prescribed, (also known as controlled), ground-level burns. Prescribed burns are intentionally ignited fires on specific lands designed to improve the overall health of an ecosystem. The Naperville Park District uses this method as an effective tool to clear invasive weeds and reduce the amount of leaf and plant debris on the ground. Typically, this type of park maintenance takes place in the spring and fall.
Certain variables are necessary to conduct prescribed burns. The ground must be at a certain temperature after the snow melts and the grass must remain dormant for a successful burn. Weather conditions affect prescribed burns as well, requiring low wind velocity, specific wind direction and a low chance of precipitation.
Weather conditions permitting, certified professionals may conduct prescribed burns at the following locations this spring:
- Ashbury Greenway – 3475 Plainfield/Naperville Road
- Ashbury Park – 1740 Conan Doyle Road
- Bailey Hobson Woods – 1184 Hobson Mill Drive
- Brighton Ridge Park – 775 Torrington Drive
- Brook Crossings – 1015 95th Street
- Buttonwood Park – 803 Buttonwood Circle
- Century Farms Park – 715 Sigmund Road
- Country Lakes Park – 1835 North Aurora
- Dorothea Weigand Riverfront Park – 2436 S Washington Street
- DuPage River Park – 808 Royce Road
- Frontier Sports Complex – 3380 Cedar Glade Drive
- Hobson West Ponds – 1047 S West Street
- Hunters Woods – 2007 Lakeview Court
- Kingsley Prairie – 160 Ring Road
- Knoch Knolls Commons – 323 Knoch Knolls Road
- Knoch Knolls Park – 336 Knoch Knolls Road
- Lincoln Greenway – 1052 Edgewater Drive
- May Watts Park – 804 S Whispering Hills Drive
- Nike Sports Complex – 288 W Diehl Road
- Oleson Estates Park – 1415 Dunrobin Road
- Pioneer Park – 1212 S Washington Street
- Rivercrest Estates Park – 11S087 Sheri Street
- Rock Ridge Park – 1316 Green Trails Drive
- Seager Park – 1163 Plank Road
- Springbrook Crossings – 1211 Leverenz Road
- Springbrook Golf Course – 2220 W 83rd St
- Springbrook Parkway – 2359 Nottingham Lane
- Stanford Meadows – 1991 Stanford Drive
- Veterans Park – 303 E Gartner Road
- Westglen Commons – 467 Westglen Drive
- Wildflower Park – 2122 Aurora Avenue
- Willowgate Square – 408 Travelaire Avenue
- Wil-O-Way Commons 1071 W Jefferson
- Winding Creek Park – 144 W Bailey Road
For more information on prescribed burns at Naperville parks, visit napervilleparks.org/prescribedburns.
