In November, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in Massachusetts partnered with MassWildlife and the Town of Edgartown to conduct prescribed burns on approximately 70 acres of MassWildlife’s Katama Plains Wildlife Management Area and nearby Katama Airfield. Fire is one of the best tools for managing the sandplain grassland ecosystem, preserving precious fire-adapted native species that depend on these habitats while reducing woody vegetation cover. Prescribed burns have been happening on Martha’s Vineyard for decades, creating conditions that maintain native plant and animal species that rely on the grasslands, alter soil conditions and microclimate, and reduce fire risk to the public.

In 2018 – guided by the findings from a guidebook to manage sandplain grassland habitat written by the Sandplain Grassland Network – TNC updated its management plan to increase fire frequency to 2-3 years on part of Unit 1 at Katama Airfield and to begin burning more in early fall when fire effects tend to be better for fighting the encroachment of woody species. Since then, TNC has burned Unit 1 twice during fall. One of the most apparent positive impacts has been the increase of New England blazing-star (Liatris novae angliae) throughout the unit. We also noticed a significant setback in woody growth since the previous burn, confirming that a 2-3 year frequency is effective on this site. We hope that increased frequency and more fall burns will continue to reduce woody species and increase the abundance of native warm season grasses. For drone footage of the burn, see here.

We would like to thank the many partners that provided resources and made the prescribed burn possible within these two important conservation areas including Mass DCR Fire Control and DCR State Parks, Edgartown Conservation Commission, Edgartown Fire Department, Chilmark Fire Department, Mass Army National Guard, Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank, The Nature Conservancy, and the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. Their dedication, professionalism, and teamwork made the day a great success.

Fire personnel from various agencies led by DFW. @Mike Whittemore