Successful Rx Burn in the Desert

After several years of planning, SVT and the City of Marlborough held a prescribed burn in the Desert Natural Area on March 27 and 28. The burn is a key part of our effort to restore a globally rare pitch pine/scrub oak barrens habitat, which relies on periodic burns for ecosystem health. 

To ensure wildlife safety, we left about 15 acres of the planned 75 acres unburned to provide a refuge for wildlife, most especially threatened species of moths and salamanders. This plan was according to guidance from MassWildlife's Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program.

We also conducted a turtle sweep prior to the burn to make sure that radio-tagged turtles were in a safe zone. Native wildlife are adapted to respond to slow moving surface fires such as the one conducted at the Desert and will instinctively either flee to a safe area or escape to an underground burrow. The heat does not penetrate the soil beyond the surface layer.

We are thrilled this incredibly important project has finally come to fruition. In order to complete the burn, a team of prescribed burn experts came in from New Jersey. We also worked with MassWildlife, DCR Forest Fire Control, and the Sudbury and Marlborough Fire Departments to coordinate efforts for a safe and effective outcome. 

You can see photos from the burn here. In the coming months, we will share photos that show how the plant life is responding, and we will also recruit volunteers to help remove any invasives plants that pop up. 

Thank you to everyone who made this burn possible. The Spring 2025 prescribed burn received funding from local donors, MassWildlife, the DuPont Clear Into the Future program, and Hollis Declan Leverett Memorial Fund, Bank of America, N.A., Trustee.