Alex Entrup

Instant classic

Burned grassland at Quaboag WMA in East Brookfield, MA.

Drip torch and burning grasslands.

Wildland firefighters and equipment on a prescribed burn.

Burned yesterday after overnight rainfall in restoration grasslands at Quaboag WMA in East Brookfield. It’s a phased conversion from cool season to warm season grasslands. Another step forward in what will be a great site for grassland birds and pollinators.

Camp Cachalot WMA/SF in Plymouth, MA. Beautiful pitch pine barrens. One year after the first burn and two years after the thinning. The response from the vegetation is impressive. #goodfire

Prescribed fire at William Forward WMA in Newbury, MA

Prescribed fire at William Forward WMA in Newbury, MA

Prescribed fire at William Forward WMA in Newbury, MA

Did I ur first burn at William Forward WMA in Newbury, MA last week. It’s an amazing restoration project. Removing hedgerows and plantations and converting 5 cool season grass fields to one 40 acre native warm season grassland on an oak woodland island surrounded by salt marsh.

Growing season burn at Birch Hill WMA in Winchendon, MA. Patchy burn, but another step forward in a really cool heathland barrens. Prairie warblers everywhere today. #goodfire

What is this? It reads like it was written by an Airbnb spokesperson. Does this news site get paid by companies to promote their messages or what? It’s weird.

All those and no D. Scabrilusculum. Such a task figuring out which is which.

Whip-poor-will nest in charred leaf litter.

Recently burned area with Whip-poor-will nest in leaf litter.

Whip-poor-will nest found in this year’s black. #goodfire

No, it’s like saying AGs instead of AsG.

Growing season fire in pitch pine barrens.

AAR with smoking burn unit in background.

One month old black. Bare ground and lots of green growth.

Burned today at the Albany Pine Bush Preserve. What a great program and amazing site. Inland pine barrens on glacial dunes. The most important population of Karner Blue Butterflies. Great day.

Grasslands rx fire

Green up <3 weeks post fire

Cool season grasses burned in prescribed fire.

Burning restoration grasslands at Herman Covey WMA in Belchertown, MA today. Pocket grasslands nested with oak woodlands. Beautiful site.

Ignitions along firebreak in grasslands

Fresh growth after a February burn

Fresh black from the day’s burn. Top-killed pitch pine regeneration.

Yesterday’s burn at Frances Crane WMA on Cape Cod. 100 acres of grassland burned. This is one of the largest sandplain grasslands in New England. Grasshopper Sparrows, Meadowlarks, Prairie Warblers, all the grassland birds. It’s cool to see the mosaic from our three burns this year. #goodfire

Grassland fire

Growing season fire in oak woodlands

Growing season burning at Quaboag WMA, Brookfield, MA. First entry into the oak woodlands and a hot burn through the restoration grasslands. Overstory thinning in 2017, finally got the first fire on the ground. It should do a great job knocking back brush and promoting oak regen. #goodfire

Inland sandplain grassland restoration at Bolton Flats WMA. Really cool site we burned today. Former sand mine, filling in with more and more barrens specialists as we continue burning. Lots of little bluestem, low bush blueberry, and now seeing stiff aster and other forbs. Good stuff #goodfire

Took advantage of a marginal day (cloudy and humid) to burn at Montague Plains WMA in Massachusetts. Glad we did. Great first entry burn in this inland sand plain barrens, a globally rare natural community. Can’t wait to see the blueberry next year. #goodfire

Hot burn in the Mashpee Pine Barrens on Cape Cod on Monday. Great fire effects. Deer already back in the burn unit before we’ve even left the site.

Pink Lady’s slipper flowering in a recently burned grassland.

Recently burned grassland greening up.

Love to see the green up. Five week old black at Frances Crane WMA on Cape Cod. #goodfire

Three weeks post fire, the green up is amazing. Pennsylvania sedge, birds foot violet, and many more. #goodfire

More Rx fire at Muddy Brook WMA. Oak woodlands, grasslands and marsh restoration. Impressive fire behavior and amazing fire effects. I love the photo with three week old black in the foreground with fresh black in the distance. #goodfire

Impressive. How soon were you able to burn after planting? How have the invasives been?

Maritime grassland restoration on Cuttyhunk Island, MA. Great fire effects in a very rare natural community. #goodfire

Thankful for a rainy Saturday after a hot burn at Muddy Brook WCE in Hardwick, MA. Great fire effects for resorting oak woodlands. #goodfire

Well hello, which ever stellar invasive plant killer you may be. Stay strong.

For the most part, yes. The early phases of restoration can have some resistance, but fire is generally well received. Even in populated areas like the cape. Locals have seen the improvement in habitat quality and tend to appreciate it, at least from what I hear.

Another Massachusetts prescribed fire. Frances Crane WMA quail fields on Cape Cod, burning grasslands, oak woodlands, and pitch pine/scrub oak. #goodfire

Inland pine barrens prescribed Fire at Montague Plains WMA, MA. Great burn in a globally rare ecosystem. #goodfire

Marla Spivak was my neighbor in St. Paul. Colony collapse research was going on in the next door yard. Super cool.

Hope to get there. We’re working on getting our second. The first was to test and it’s no contest. We have mostly Kabotas which are not very good.

Burning grasslands at Frances Crane WMA on Cape Cod today. Great burning conditions. #goodfire

Indeed. We are can-am converts.