On Sat 23 Jan 2021, we burned most of Pearl Creek Farm. Here are some time lapse videos of the process. Enjoy!
Tag Archives: Fire
The Bad Astronomer Tweets About My Fire Tornado Footage
No, this isn’t some kind of obscure euphemism! It really happened!
Continue reading The Bad Astronomer Tweets About My Fire Tornado Footage
Controlled 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.
Pearl Creek
Here are more photos of Pearl Creek. The top image, featured in the banner on this site, is at the confluence of Pearl Creek and Sandstone Spring. There is a small waterfall where the spring flows into the pool visible on the right side of the image. This is near the corner of our house and outside of our bedroom window.
The bottom image was taken from the top of the hill looking northwest. You can see the results of a recent controlled burn at the top of the image. The burned area stops abruptly at our north fence.
