I have uploaded a short video of the ESA burn that was completed last week.  This will give you an idea of the process used on all of the areas on the course.

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The recent warm and dry weather did give us the opportunity to revisit the ESA(Environmentally Sensitive Area) burn that was unsuccessful in early December(ESA Burn - Fail).  During the first attempt, there existed too much moisture for an effective burn to be completed.  Leaves and vegetation at the edges of the ESAs would light, but the fire would not carry towards the middle of the areas.  The smoke in the pictures from the post in December shows the amount of moisture that was still in these areas.

Wednesday's dry conditions with a light breeze was sufficient for getting this project completed before the spring.  Our lack of snow and abundance of warm sunny weather sufficiently dried the remaining plant material to burn with little effort.  The light breeze was able to move the flames through the canopy to ensure a thorough burn of the surface.

The burn is done to remove the dead stalks and plant material to provide an open surface for the seedlings in the spring.  We try to do this every 16-18 months.

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The first attempt at burning the ESAs on Friday was unsuccessful.  The ESA areas are not far enough into their dormancy for them to burn effectively.  The amount of smoke coming from the ESA in this picture shows there is too much moisture in them to burn the way we need them to.

We consult with a company called Pizzo and Associates for all of our management of these areas, and this company also performs the burn.  We will continue to monitor these areas to decide when an appropriate time will be.  After the rain this past weekend, it will most likely be spring before the ESAs will be ready.

Here is a link to past posts about ESA burn:

ESA Burn

ESA Burn Almost Complete

ESA Burn Completed

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This week began cutting down the Environmentally Sensitive Areas as part of their yearly maintenance.  Earlier this year in the spring time we burned the dead material off, due to weather issues that prevented us from doing it last fall.  This practice allows for the recycling of the organic matter that accumulates in these areas.  Letting the stalks of the plants fall over, and not removing them, will shade the ground in the spring and prevent regeneration of the plants.  Over time this would decrease the diversity and uniformity that has been established over the past few years.

The area near 11 tee and the area near the pond at 14 green have been completed.  We will continue to work on these areas over the next week.

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I had intensions to post this earlier but am just now getting around to it.  After the storms passed early in the week, the course was lucky to remain in great shape, but some evidence of the storm lingered through the week.  Here are a few problems we dealt with through the week.

This picture shows what behind 14 green looked liked around 11am on Wednesday, after the rains in the morning.  We suspected the water should have been receding quicker than what it was.  The next morning, after all of the water was off the course, and we were able to check drains, we found a problem in this area.

We found this drain, which is behind 14 green, to be completely clogged with with plants that had been washed out of the ponds and the adjacent ESA areas.  This drain is connected to the main drain pipe that runs through the property.  There was no other problem with the drain, it was just necessary to remove the debris that had collected.  Once that was done, we could see the water moving through the drain again.

This tree off the right side of 5 tees was the only trees or branches that fell.

We did receive some other tree damage.  This damage was from a lightning strike to a tree on the left side of 2 fairway.  This tree is not in great shape and the lightning strike is just one more ailment for this tree to deal with.

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The prairie burn of the ESA's was completed on Tuesday.  The weather cooperated and the contractor, Tallgrass Restoration, Inc. was able to complete the area in front of 11 tee and the two mounds to the right of hole 10.  These areas will be black over the next few weeks until new growth begins to sprout.  This practice is recommended every two to three years.


And, a new picture for the title to get ready for the summer!

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Most of the areas that will be burned were completed today.  There was an unfavorable wind today that did not allow for the completion of the burn on the ESA in front of 11 tee, and the two areas south of hole 10.  The areas are black and will remain in that condition for a few weeks when new growth will begin to show.

These areas are burned as part of the managment of the ESA's required by the county.  Burning these areas removes the dead material from the previous year and allows more light to reach the surface and allow for new growth in the coming spring.

We hire a contractor, Tallgrass Restoration, to perform the burn for us.  They go through the necessary process of acquiring a burn permit, notifying residents and contacting the Naperville Fire Department before the burn can be done.  They also give recommendations on further management while they are on the property.

The burning is done by spreading the flame with flammables in sections across an area of the ESA. We had two of our employees with backpack sprayers of water to extinguish any stray flames that creep out of the ESA's.  The areas completed today included the ESA in front of 17 tee and around 17 pond, around 14 pond and in front of 18 tee.

The remaining areas will be done as the weather permits.

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The prairie burn we do for our ESA's will be taking place today at 10:30am.  This was scheduled to be done in the fall, however the wet fall weather prevented it from taking place.  If you are coming to the course to enjoy the weather today, beware of the smoke.

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In accordance with the rules of golf, ESA’s are identified by an appropriate agency. In our case the agencies are DuPage County and the United States Army Corps of Engineers. The county will monitor our maintenance and upkeep of the ESA’s for a period of 5 years. We continue to progress on track with expectations through the monitoring process.

ESA’s are marked with a combination of signage and traditional yellow or red stakes identifying them as either a lateral or water hazard. If a hazard stake has a green cap on it, then the area is marked as an ESA and entry is prohibited. If a player hits an errant shot into an ESA, They have the standard options available to them under the rules of golf – except that they cannot enter the area to retrieve their ball or play their shot. If the hazard stakes do not have a green cap then the area is not designated as an ESA and should be treated as a normal hazard. The signage that is used in conjunction with the ESA’s reads “Environmentally Sensitive Area- Entering This Area is prohibited.”

It is important that members understand the significance of this topic. When you bring a guest to the club, make sure that they are aware of the ESA’s. It is possible that your guest may not be familiar with how to apply the rules of golf as they relate to ESA’s (not all courses have designated environmentally sensitive areas). If you have any specific questions regarding ESA’s or how to treat an errant shot that has come to rest in an ESA, please contact the Golf Course Superintendent or Golf Shop.

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