Preserving the Natural Prairie Environment

"Iowa has the soil and rainfall that trees love, but in the Iowa of old, trees had to fight for a spot on the prairies -and commonly lost to the wildfires. Spring fire means rebirth to prairie plants which hide their vital juices in deep roots while the flames clear away dead vegetation above. That allows the sunshine to penetrate, and the blackened remains absorb heat, warming the soil and hastening germination. Woody plants tend not to survive the burns."

Rescuing the Prairie
Editorial, Des Moines Register, April 20, 2000