The Naperville Park District plans to set controlled fires at 28 park and recreation sites across the city this fall to clear invasive weeds and built-up debris.

The district announced Sept. 1 that maintenance crews and third-party contractors will conduct prescribed ground-level burns at locations spanning north, central and south Naperville. Neighborhoods near Knoch Knolls Park, Veterans Park, Wolf's Crossing Community Park and Springbrook Golf Course are among those that could see smoke as burns get underway.

Burns are weather-dependent. Crews need low wind speeds, a specific wind direction and a low chance of rain before igniting a site. No fixed schedule or start date has been published.

The district divided its burn list into four zones:

North Parks: Country Lakes Park (1835 North Aurora Road) and Seager Park (1163 Plank Road).

Central Parks: Brighton Ridge Park (775 Torrington Drive), Buttonwood Park (803 Buttonwood Circle), Ron Ory Community Garden Plots (811 S. West Street), Meadow Glens (1303 Muirhead Avenue), Oakridge Parkway (478 E. 87th Street), Rock Ridge Park (1316 Green Trails Drive), Sportsman's Park (735 S. West Street), Stanford Meadows (1991 Stanford Drive), University Heights Park (1315 River Oak Drive), Veterans Park (303 E. Gartner Road) and Dorothea Weigand Riverfront Park (2436 S. Washington Street).

South Parks: Ashwood Park (4603 Chinaberry Lane), Commissioners Park (3704 111th Street), DuPage River Park (808 Royce Road), DuPage River Sports Complex (2807 S. Washington Street), Knoch Knolls Park (336 Knoch Knolls Road), Knoch Knolls Nature Center (320 Knoch Knolls Road), Frontier Sports Complex (3380 Cedar Glade Drive), Springbrook Parkway (2359 Nottingham Lane), Tall Grass Lakes (3320 Rollingridge Road), Rivercrest Estates Park (11S087 Sheri Street), Frank Rus Preserve (336 Knoch Knolls Road) and Wolf's Crossing Community Park (3252 Wolf's Crossing Road).

Golf: Springbrook Golf Course (2220 W. 83rd Street).

Two additional sites, Pioneer Park (1212 S. Washington Street) and Clow Creek Greenway (4588 Pradel Drive), will be handled by outside contractors rather than district crews.

Prescribed burns are supervised by trained professionals and are used to improve ecosystem health by removing invasive plants and reducing leaf litter, according to the district. The district conducts burns in both spring and fall.

Park Specialists Olivia Koehn and Tammy Peterson discussed the district's burn practices on a September 2025 episode of the ParkTalk podcast, describing prescribed burns as a natural land management tool.

The announcement did not say whether park access will be restricted during burns, how long each burn lasts, or whether neighbors will receive advance notice before a specific site is lit. Residents can contact the Park District at (630) 848-5000 or visit napervilleparks.org for updates.