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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
City of Duluth Communications Office
411 West First Street • Duluth, Minnesota 55802 • www.duluthmn.gov
For more information, please call 218-730-5309
DATE: 4/20/2026
SUBJECT: City of Duluth to conduct prescribed burns at various sites this spring
BY: Kelli Latuska, Public Information Officer

City of Duluth to conduct prescribed burns at various sites this spring

 

 

[DULUTH, MN]  The City of Duluth’s Parks Maintenance Division, in partnership with the Duluth Fire Department and other city staff, will conduct controlled burns on various small parcel sites this spring to knock back weeds, encourage native plants to thrive, and enrich the soil on public lands. In addition, the Duluth Fire Department will use the opportunity to train their staff in wildland firefighting techniques.

 

The locations of the prescribed/controlled burns are:

  • Piedmont Park pollinator gardens
  • Chambers Grove Park willow stands
  • Hartley Park and Natural Area—“The Pines”
  • Hartley Park and Natural Area—Oak stands in the southeastern part of the natural area

 

Controlled burns, also known as prescribed burns or prescribed fire, is a land management strategy that uses the controlled application of fire to support healthy ecosystems. In this case, the goal of the burn is to reduce undesirable and invasive plants in these meadows, such as purple loosestrife and buckthorn, and encourage the re-growth and vitality of native perennials and grasses, such as little bluestem and black-eyed susan. Prescribed burns are also culturally important to our tribal communities. The management goal at the Hartley forestry units is to support the fire-dependent species (red pine and red oak) found there.

 

Each site will take approximately one to two hours to burn and will only occur if weather conditions are right for a successful prescribed fire. When feasible, a separate notice will be issued for each site on the day of the burn to notify the public of the work. Smoke may be present for a few days during the prescribed burns. This is normal. Duluth Fire Department will be on-site until the flames are totally extinguished.

 

 

The City of Duluth continues to make efforts to provide habitat for pollinators as certain applications and circumstances negatively impact pollinator populations. Native wildflower meadows provide habitat, nesting sites and food for myriad species of bees, moths, and butterflies. Residents can help these pollinators by planting native flowers and grasses on their own property, such as milkweed or native wildflower seed mixes.

 

 

 

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