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Sustainable Land Management Practices The City's natural resource staff have made significant changes in the last five years to develop sustainable land management practices. For example, five staff are now trained in prescribed fire techniques to use this as a restoration tool in City -owned natural areas. Some of these staff have worked with the City's Fire Department staff to carry out training exercises and we hope to use it more frequently to mimic the natural processes that occurred in this area prior to development. See article below: Controlled Burn Used to Restore Native Prairie in Whilamut Natural Area Blackberries and other non - native vegetation on an eight -acre portion of Alton Baker Park will be removed through a controlled burn on Monday, October 4. Unless the weather is too wet or too hot and windy, the burn is scheduled to begin at approximately 1 p.m. in the Whilamut Natural Area, located in the eastern section of the park west of 1 -5 on the north bank of the Willamette River. For public safety reasons, access to the burn area will be restricted. However, the prescribed fire, unlike a wildfire, is quite safe and will be completely controlled and contained by the Eugene Fire Department. The Fire Department is partnering with the Parks and Open Space Division of Eugene Public Works to perform the controlled burn, which will serve two purposes. The Fire Department will use it as a training opportunity to practice wildland firefighting methods and test a new soy - based foam product that is fish friendly. The Public Works Department will use the fire as a restoration tool and follow the burn by reseeding the area with native plants. Historically, prairies in the Willamette Valley were burned frequently by Native Americans. By reintroducing this ecological process, Park and Open Space staff hope to reduce weedy exotic species, remove built -up thatch, and provide an opportunity to restore the area with native prairie species. For additional information, contact Natural Resources Specialist Trevor Taylor at 682 -4880 or trevor .h.tavlor(a�ci.eugene.or.us. Invasive Species Control The City of Eugene has adopted new technology to managing invasive plant species in our natural areas. One example is the use of a thermal weed device that uses heat to eliminate invasive plant species without the use of chemicals. Additionally, we have begun using a hot -foam technique that is derived from sugar to eradicate weed populations. See articles below: Pesticide -Free Hot Foam Kills Moss, Ivy in Parks Across Eugene What looks like a blanket of powdery snow but is only hot water, corn sugar and coconut oil? Though it's made in New Zealand, it's not an exotic beverage but rather the newest, pesticide -free, weed control technique in the parks maintenance arsenal, and on one recent, cold January morning, it was applied to the moss - covered sidewalks on the north side of Skinner Butte.