(From National Park Service)George Washington Carver National Monument is making plans for a prescription burn. Because prescribed burns are so dependent on weather conditions, a block of time has been identified during March and April to conduct the burn.
Approximately 170 acres will be burned at the park, conducted under the guidance of National Park Service fire personnel. The objective of the controlled burn is to reduce wildfire risk and enhance the tallgrass prairie through the reduction of fuel loads and woody species. Most of the park will remain open to visitors during the burn, although temporary closure of the Carver Trail will be necessary to ensure visitor safety. The burn is expected to last one day.
Tallgrass prairie once covered more than 140 million acres of the United States. Nearly all of it is gone, plowed under for agriculture. Prairies respond to their environment, which include soil type, water availability, and natural processes such as grazing and fire. Most ecologists agree that for the last 5,000 years, prairie vegetation would have mostly disappeared if it had not been for the burning of these grasslands. With prescribed fire, these fragile ecosystems will be preserved for generations to come. Areas of restored tallgrass prairie can be found at George Washington Carver National Monument.
Administered by the National Park Service, an agency of the Department of the Interior, the monument preserves the birthplace and childhood home of George Washington Carver, scientist, educator, and humanitarian. For further information, contact Superintendent, James Heaney at 417-325-4151.
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