We will delve into the reasons for prescribed burning of various landscapes; prairies, wetlands, sedge meadows and oak forests are fire dependent and will lose native species over time if fire disappears. Thanks to Mississippi Valley Conservancy and The Aldo Leopold Foundation for information about their burning activities.
Fire is an essential tool to restore Wisconsin’s fire-adapted ecosystems.
from the WI DNR :
Prescribed fire is the intentional application of fire to a specific pre-planned area, under specific environmental conditions, to accomplish planned land management objectives. Without the use of prescribed burning as a management tool, Wisconsin could lose many of its native grassland, wetland and savanna plant communities.
And Brent Anderson has written on theprairieenthusiasts.org website, about a molecule found in the smoke of burned native grasses and forbs called karrikins. These molecules trigger seed germination and enhance seedling development. Identified in 2004, these compounds act as signaling molecules at very low concentrations, acting as chemical cues that prompt “fire-followers” to emerge after wildfires
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