Burn

Prescribed burns are a proven way to manage many different habitats-especially those that have a long history involving fire, like prairies and glades. On these unique ecosystems, plants and animals alike have evolved and adapted to benefit from the frequent fires that the native americans sent across the land for thousands of years. Grasses are stimulated by fire, and many forbes rely on it to rid them of ground clutter. Bison and other mammals search for the abundant fresh growth stimulated by the fires.

Today at rocky point glade we burned from the entrance road to the "great divide" - a small creekbed past the second gladetop. Though todays burn was much better than yesterdays, due to a better fuel bed and stronger winds, it was not as successful as I would have liked to have seen it. Wind direction was at no point consistent, sometimes switching from East to West in the matter of seconds. In addition, many plants were still, unseasonably, very green.

Nonetheless, a burn is always fun. Larry Rizzo(MDC) and Bill fessler(kansas city), among many others from all over the place, lit fires today. Larry (left) has conducted burns on the area for many years, and was not disappointed with today because he thinks that with other recent fires burning very well, it might be a good thing to leave the area with only a light burn for a change.

Some kind of aster escaped the fire.


ANOTHER KIND OF FIRE right

HEAVEN OR HELL? below