FAYETTE, MI-- Firefighters conducted a prescribed burn this week to keep Delta County’s Fayette Historic State Park historically accurate.
Department of Natural Resources firefighters and park personnel burned five acres of brush and woody vegetation Tuesday. It reopened what would have been the infield of the half-mile, oval horse-racing track.
Park Manager Randy Brown says the open area better replicates conditions present during the years the town was bustling in the 1800s.
Another 10 acres are scheduled to be burned at the park. Thirteen DNR firefighters worked on this week’s burn, assisted by the Garden Township Fire Department.
Officials say prescribed burns are one way to keep lands and forests healthy, and often simulate the benefits of natural fires.