The Essex Region Conservation Authority (ERCA), in collaboration with the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) and other restoration partners, is preparing to conduct a prescribed burn of approximately 20 hectares of Phragmites within Tremblay Beach Conservation Area. This work is part of a coordinated effort to manage and restore this ecologically significant wetland.
“Ensuring public and property safety remains the highest priority,” says Kevin Money, ERCA’s Director of Conservation Services.
“The prescribed burn will be ignited by hand and carried out by trained and certified professionals with extensive expertise in fire behaviour and control. Weather and site conditions will be closely monitored, and the burn will only proceed when conditions are ideal. Winds will be assessed to help direct smoke away from neighbouring homes and, where possible, out over the lake to reduce impacts to residents.”
Information letters are being hand-delivered to neighbours located within a 1.5km radius of the conservation area this week.
A substantial amount of invasive Phragmites biomass burned during an unauthorized fire on March 14, 2025. While that fire resulted from illegal activity, the incident provided an opportunity to accelerate ecological restoration efforts. Prescribed fire is a proven and effective method for removing dead standing biomass, allowing for follow‑up management such as herbicide treatment once new growth emerges later in the season.
“Restoring the health of the Tremblay Beach wetland requires coordinated action, and prescribed fire is an important tool in that work,” says Kyle Borrowman, NCC’s Habitat Restoration Manager.
“Removing dense stands of invasive Phragmites will open space for native plants and wildlife to return and thrive, while providing benefits for local communities like cleaner water, reduced flood risk, and opportunities for recreation. Working alongside the ERCA and our partners will ensure this work is done safely and delivers real benefits for people and nature in the region.”
The prescribed burn is expected to occur some time this March, pending favourable weather and site conditions. Approximately 48 hours’ notice will be provided once the burn window opens and timing can be confirmed.
Those who wish to receive email communications once the 48 hour burn notice opens can sign up at https://essexregionconservation.ca/tremblaybeachburn.
The conservation area is also expected to be closed to the public on Wednesday, March 11 as burn breaks are cut through the biomass as part of the prescribed burn’s safety measures.
The Essex Region Conservation Authority is a public sector organization established by the Province of Ontario in 1973 and governed by local municipalities. For more than 50 years, it has delivered programs and services to further the conservation, restoration, development and management of natural resources in watersheds in the Windsor-Essex-Pelee Island region.
Since 1962, the Nature Conservancy of Canada has brought people together to protect the lands and waters that sustain us all. As an environmental charity working hand in hand with communities, Indigenous Nations, governments and businesses, we deliver nature-based solutions at a scale no one else can.
Our conservation work safeguards clean air and water, stores carbon and reduces the risks of floods and wildfires — protecting our health, strengthening local economies and building more resilient communities. Together, we unlock nature’s power, so life can thrive. Learn more at natureconservancy.ca.
