Superior Control Burn Study

A controlled burn took place on October 9th, 2025 at 12:30 west of the Superior Marketplace and west of McCaslin Boulevard along Hwy. 128. in Superior. The burn was conducted by the Boulder County Parks & Open Space organization and the Boulder County Fire Management. The burns were conducted for research and to clear unwanted vegetation and as with all prescribed burns, these operations were dependent on favorable weather conditions. The burn was led by Jonathan Henn, who is a Grassland Plant Ecologist, from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The burn did not perform as desired, as conditions were not optimal, yet some information was able to obtained.  Jonathan Henn is an assistant professor in the department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences (NRES) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and leader of the Grassland Ecology And Restoration (GEAR) Lab. The GEAR Lab is focused on and the study of applied grassland plant ecology, which ranges in topics from restoration ecology, to grassland fire and plant functional traits. These studies and work are to inform grassland management practices, to restore and maintain diversity under rapidly changing environmental conditions.

Additional prescribed burns are planned for locations including Hall Ranch, Overland, Riverside Ranch, Reynolds Ranch, and Sherwood Gulch from October to December of 2025.