On Sat 23 Jan 2021, we burned most of Pearl Creek Farm. Here are some time lapse videos of the process. Enjoy!
Category Archives: Management
New Management Database
I recently created a new database to track management activities at Pearl Creek Farm. Primarily, I was interested in having a single place I could check for a) when and where I collected seeds to sow at the farm, b) what year I established various restorations, c) what year I planted trees. Since I had decent records for a lot of other activities, I went long and put in everything I could think of that might be of interest at some point in the future. Obviously, there are tons of things I’ve done (particularly with controlling invasives) that I wish I had better records of, but those will just have to remain lost in the distant past.
The web page that displays the database can be accessed from the menu above. It’s called simply “Management“.
Native Restoration History
This restoration was from seed and this is its seventh growing season. The random, unkempt look is intentional. Except for removing invasives, I don’t try to control where the plants grow. I’m happy to let them do the thing they’ve been doing for millenia and just enjoy them and the fauna they attract.
This area is about 6/10 acre in front of my house. It started as a typical rural lawn with tall fescue, Bermuda grass, Kentucky bluegrass, and other non-native cool-season “lawn” grasses. It also had a lot of winter annuals like chickweed, henbit, dead nettle, etc. It was mowed by the previous owner but not doted over and cared for like a lawn in the suburbs.
Continue reading Native Restoration HistoryControlled Burn on Coyne Prairie
The Missouri Prairie Foundation is dedicated to preserving prairies in Missouri. Our state’s prairies are on the eastern edge of the vast Great Plains of North America. Because they make some of the best land for row crops, temperate grasslands are one of the rarest ecosystems on the planet. Missouri is blessed with some stellar examples, partly because much of the land in the state is littered with rocks, making it unsuitable for cultivation.
Here, we’re attempting a controlled burn of MPF’s Coyne Prairie in Dade County, Missouri. As you can see, we got off to a good start. Unfortunately, it started to mist and then rain shortly after we started. Soon, the vegetation became too wet so that even a head fire couldn’t burn through. We saved the rest for another day.
Fire
We use prescribed fire at Pearl Creek Farm to manage both the forest and the reconstructed prairie. Here is an eerie photo of a controlled burn from last weekend that is burning itself out. It’s difficult to tell, but this photograph represents two lines of fire burning through dried oak leaves. The lines approached each other and burned themselves out when they met.
Fire returns nutrients to the soil, kills several non-native species, burns brush and other small woody plants back to ground level, keeping the forest clear, and tends to promote healthy growth in the spring. There is a body of historical and anecdotal evidence that suggests Native Americans burned both prairies and forest for various reasons during most of their 10,000+ year history in North America. We’re just restoring the tradition after a century hiatus.