Community
BY TIM GLAZE
Flower Mound’s namesake is already recovering from a sweeping grass re that hit Sept. 19. More than a month after re crews extinguished a re caused by nearby construction at The Mound—a giant prairie o of Flower Mound Road—the area is regrowing, said Diane Weathersbee of The Flower Mound Foundation. “A re, even an intense re like the one that hit, doesn’t really do any harm to the actual growth—if anything, it revives The Mound,” she said. “That’s why we always do these prescribed, practiced burns. Really, it’s business as usual for us going forward.” Weathersbee said the roots of the plants that make up the vegetation on The Mound—bluestem grass, switchgrass and Indian grass, among others—are between 10 and 12 feet deep, which preserves the plant’s life when res hit. It’s why planned res are a “natural part” of maintaining The Mound, Weathersbee said. Prairie regrows following re
What you need to know
Following an investigation, Flower Mound o - cials determined a town-contracted construction crew sparked the re while cutting rebar near the southeast corner of The Mound. Minor damage from the re was contained to a small area of cedar fencing surrounding The Mound, the fencing behind two homes o War- wick Avenue and a deck to one home o Warwick Avenue, according to a town release. No homes were damaged. “Because we’ve done [controlled burns at The Mound] so many times before, it was like calling a familiar play from our playbook,” said Flower Mound Fire Chief Paul Henley. “The incident com- mander on scene already knew exactly where he should be placing his resources.... Our re ghters knew how to contain the re quickly and safely, because they’ve done it in a controlled scenario many times before.”
Growth has been spotted on The Mound more than a month after the grass re.
PHOTOS BY TIM GLAZE COMMUNITY IMPACT
Fire crews were able to extinguish the grass re on Sept. 19, but much of the historic area was burned.
Going forward
The Flower Mound Fire Department has a program in place called Ready, Set, Go—The Wildland Urban Interface Fire Prevention Program that explains anti-grass re measures residents can take, Weathersbee said. But community vigilance is important, she said, even with fail-safes in place. “Our neighbors have a responsibility to be re wise,” she said.
Crews with The Flower Mound Foundation have used the time following the burn to clear out more wood-heavy plants, like small trees and bushes. Weathersbee said there is “little” the foundation or the re department can do to prevent “unplanned burns” at The Mound, especially during a burn ban. Something as small as throwing a cigarette into the prairie could cause a grass re, she said.
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3281 Long Prairie Road • Flower Mound, Texas 75022 • TheOaksAtFlowerMound.com
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