Prescribed Fire

Burning the Meadow

Prescribed fire is a commonly used tool in meadow management that yields important outcomes, including:

• Removal of woody plants that encroach and over time convert meadows into woodlands
• Control of undesirable and invasive species, which are sometimes less adapted to fire than the desirable species in our meadow
• Release of nutrients for more vigorous plant growth and in turn, more wildlife use and diversity
• Preparation of the seed bed for increased germination rates

Thanks to support from our partners with the Bainbridge Island Fire Department (BIFD), the City of Bainbridge Island granted our organization an agricultural exemption from local burn bans in spring of 2024. This exemption allows us to execute a controlled burn before the fall rains come and when the meadow is still dry enough to carry fire. Each burn is conducted under an approved burn permit issued by the fire department and carried out by trained professionals. BIFD uses these opportunities to further train and provide experience to their personnel while reducing wildfire risk in this location.

Our most recent burn took place on August 25th, 2025, and was very successful, consuming 1 ¼ acres of meadow vegetation. Following some intermediate management interventions, we will broadcast a custom seed mix in the burned area in April 2026 and are looking forward to assessing and sharing the results!

Prescribed burn on August 25, 2025.

Top: ground-level view of the fire moving through the burn unit, photos by H. Wiggins.

Middle and bottom: aerial views of fire activity. Bottom left is the meadow before the burn, bottom right is immediately following the burn, shared by Bainbridge Prepares.