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Hey Leo, I know nothing about the ecology of Illinois's dune prairies, but I'd imagine the effect isn't that dire. In Florida (an area I have studied and actually been a participant in controlled burns) fires naturally occur in late spring and extend into mid summer, from May to July. In this case all the plants have already grown and have flower (or are in the process) and all the animals are active and many are raising their young. Except where fires got so hot that they crowned (burned the canopy trees), the result was always positive.

Areas that were overgrown with subcanopy hardwoods and shrubs were suddenly open grassland again, allowing herbaceous species to flower and reproduce. I can't tell you how many orchids "suddenly appeared" after a burn - usually the next spring - Calopogon species, Pogonia ophioglossoides, Cleistes bifaria and C. divaricata, Platentheras of all kinds, Spiranthes, and on down the line. The bigger problem in the states is fire suppression, not burns, at least in fire dependent communities. Mesic forest is a whole other matter.

It would be interesting to hear the Illinois park's department and DNR's view on this burn. Do you know if it was a prescribed burn or arson?