I’m looking forward to burning a fourth of my prairie this November. It’s almost ten years since I’ve burned my prairie, and now is the time, since it’s too wet in the spring.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) land managers consider prescribed burns their most cost-effective tool to restore and maintain many of the native-plant communities found in natural areas and other public lands.
The WDNR and other Midwestern researchers prescribed conducting burns during the late growing season and think that fall may be more effective in controlling brush than spring burns.
Birds, Butterflies and Other Insects
Grassland birds are in steep decline everywhere. Prescribed burns stimulate the growth of wildflowers, which attract insects—a vital food source for young grassland birds—and improve nesting cover for the birds. The prescribed burn will suppress the weeds, while boosting wildflower blooms and seed production and diversifying the structure, benefiting birds and butterflies and other insects
Read WDNR Increased Prescribed Burns During Late Summer.
Transmittal photo by Susan Forbes.
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