Much of my grassland, about which I often write, is in a Federal Government program called the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Contracts are offered for ten or fifteen years. Participants agree to a number of things: plant native grasses, control noxious weeds, do not plow or mow, the exception is in drought years haying is permitted, and do a mid-term restoration process. The choices of restoration methods are light discing, haying or burning. It's mid-term in one of my contracts, thus the following.
Of the three restoration methods, burning is most effective. The primary desired grasses are native, late summer varieties. Before the advent of the plow frequent prairie fires swept the plains. So, a controlled burn, replicates the effect of prairie fires. Controlled, meaning only the field in question is burned.
Today we burned a twenty-five acre CRP field. It went well, burning the grass but nothing else. To ensure this control I disced a fire break around the perimeter. USDA, administers the CRP program. Before burning they required I completed a compressive Burn Plan. Permission to burn from the local fire chief was necessary because there is a county burn bane in place. It was also necessary to inform the Brookings County Sheriff.
One of the positive effects of burning is inhibiting invasive grasses that tend to take over. One of those grasses is smooth brome. The fire helpfully burns off the thatch that's accumulated over the years. It also consumes thistle seed that's blown in.
Key players in the project today were two representative from Pheasants Forever, who supplied the 'know how' and significant physical help. Also, my nephew and my Sinai friend were invaluable. They both brought ATVs with water tanks for spraying hot spots. Were Pheasants Forever personnel not available I would have hired the local fire department.
Takk for alt,
Al
The pictures show before, during and after.
