Q: How does prescribed burning benefit prairies and grasslands?
A: When properly planned and managed, fire can rejuvenate prairies and grasslands while helping to prevent brush and trees from taking over. Historically, periodic wildfires swept across Minnesota’s prairies, killing or suppressing woody plants and encouraging deep-rooted grasses and flowers.
Today, the Department of Natural Resources uses prescribed burning to improve wildlife habitat, control weed species and enhance native plant communities. Using a carefully-devised burn plan, fire crews ignite a specific plot of land and monitor the fire from start to finish. The burn planning also includes leaving a portion of the land as undisturbed habitat. After a burn, sun-loving native prairie plants will quickly emerge from the warmed black soil and develop lush regrowth.
For more information, visit www.dnr.state.mn.us/rxfire .
Jason Garms, DNR prairie biologist
