VALLEY VIEW, Ohio — The Cuyahoga Valley National Park will conduct prescribed fires at three locations this month when conditions allow.
The park said the fires will happen between April 1 and April 15. The goal of the planned fires is to improve the natural habitat by burning invasive plant species and creating good soil conditions for native seeds.
The first fire is planned for approximately 40 acres at the former site of Richfield Coliseum, along Route 303 near the I-271 interchange. The second burn is planned for an approximately 180-acre section of the Terra Vista Natural Study Area in Valley View. The third site is a 13-acre section in Boston Township, within the national park, located off Boston Mills Road, just south of I-80.
In total, the park plans to burn 233 acres. The Terra Vista location and the Boston Township location have been burned before. This is the first planned fire for the former Richfield Coliseum.
The prescribed fire is conducted by trained national park personnel. While smoke dispersal is a primary concern, park staff said it will do everything possible to limit smoke in the area by monitoring wind and atmospheric conditions before burning the area.
The CVNP said that because a certain set of conditions is necessary to have a successful and controlled burn, it’s not possible to schedule them ahead of time.
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