Reasons to be Cheerful · People & society

Ranchers Use Prescribed Burns for Grassland Management

Great Plains ranchers are increasingly using controlled burns to improve grassland health and cattle forage. This practice also serves as a crucial tool for managing wildfire risk.

Ranchers conduct these burns in late winter to remove fuel, preventing larger wildfires. These controlled fires have proven effective in stopping wildfires and creating safe zones for firefighters.

The practice is vital due to escalating wildfires, worsened by invasive woody brush like eastern red cedar. Past fire suppression allowed these trees to spread, increasing fire danger and reducing resources.

Eastern red cedars consume water and inhibit other plant growth, intensifying wildfires. Ranchers aim to remove them to restore native grasses and wildflowers.

The Coffey family reduced tree cover on their ranch using burns, cutting, and herbicides. They also formed an association to coordinate burns with neighbors.

Similar landowner groups are forming across the Great Plains to manage grasslands collaboratively, including in the Nebraska Sandhills.

Prescribed burns must be managed carefully, especially in sandy areas. The practice benefits wildlife adapted to open prairies, such as grouse and prairie chickens.

These burns are carefully planned and approved by fire departments. Agencies support these efforts, and regions like the Flint Hills have a long history of using fire for management.

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