Science
Will County, IL: Midewin Burns Record 7,600 Acres Oct. 8–13
Wilmington, IL – More than 7,600 acres of prairie and wetland habitat have undergone prescribed burning at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie in Will County during 2026, marking a record year for cont
By Lena Wood · 2026-10-13T13:58:33.095Z
Wilmington, IL – More than 7,600 acres of prairie and wetland habitat have undergone prescribed burning at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie in Will County during 2026, marking a record year for controlled fire operations at the federally managed site southwest of Chicago.
According to an October 8 update shared by The Wetlands Initiative and the U.S. Forest Service's Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, crews have conducted prescribed burns across 87 separate management areas, known as burn units.
The total represents more than one third of Midewin's overall acreage, making 2026 an unusually active year for the site's restoration program.
Unlike uncontrolled wildfires, prescribed burns are intentionally planned and managed fires used to improve ecosystem health, reduce unwanted vegetation and support native plant communities.
The work is part of a long running effort to restore prairie and wetland landscapes at Midewin, which occupies former military property near Wilmington, approximately 50 miles southwest of downtown Chicago.
The Wetlands Initiative, which has partnered in restoration efforts at Midewin for more than two decades, credited improved planning and mapping for helping expand the prescribed burning program.
About a decade ago, GIS analyst Jim Monchak developed updated mapping and management plans to support safer, more effective burns across the property.
Those improvements helped establish prescribed fire as a major component of Midewin's ongoing habitat restoration strategy.
Land managers use controlled burning to help native prairie species compete against invasive vegetation while maintaining the ecological conditions needed by grassland habitats.
The Wetlands Initiative described prescribed burning as essential to the long term health of the restoration site, one of the largest prairie and wetland restoration projects east of the Mississippi River.
The reported acreage reflects cumulative prescribed burning activity during 2026, not a single active wildfire or emergency incident.
Officials have not indicated that the record burning activity represents a threat to nearby communities.