From Gloom to Bloom: The Importance of Fire on Marysee Prairie
A prescribed burn at TLC’s Marysee Prairie. Taken by Kevin Mundroff with Raven Environmental.
Prairie Management
Prairies are natural communities consisting of a wide variety of grasses and flowering plants. They are vital habitats for many species, including grassland dwelling birds, pollinators, and small mammals. Maintained by soil characteristics that make it difficult for trees to establish, or by disturbance, prairies are unique ecosystems that have been in steady decline due to land conversion and urban sprawl. There are several management practices that are key to prevent prairies from developing into forests such as fire, mowing, grazing, and discing (lightly turning the soil), and chemical herbicide. At Marysee Prairie, prescribed fire is our preferred choice of action against woody encroachment from neighboring pines, Chinese tallowtree, and common persimmon.
Marysee Prairie is a 9-acre remnant prairie considered one of the last remaining tall grass prairies in the Big Thicket region. Although it used to be covered in shrubs, trees, and invasive species, several years of hard work from our dedicated volunteers and regular prescribed burns have restored the prairie to its former glory. Today, native grasses such as Eastern gamagrass, little bluestem, and Indian grass blanket the prairie and wildflowers bloom year-round.
Battling Woody Encroachment
Prior to this winter, Marysee Prairie had not seen a burn since 2021. With the four-year stretch between burns, common persimmon, Chinese tallowtree, and loblolly pine seedlings quickly took root in the open grassland. Volunteers worked endlessly each month to remove these woody pioneers by shearing stems near the ground and blotting them with chemical herbicide. But even with their valiant efforts, the “woodies” keep coming up just as fast as they can remove them. Although these shrubs and trees serve their purpose in early successional forests, they can be detrimental to a prairie ecosystem. Brush and trees can inhibit the growth of grasses and herbaceous plants by blocking their access to available sunlight. Root systems of trees can also outcompete prairie plants in absorption of water and vital nutrients within the soil. As woody species become more prominent on a prairie, wildlife species relying on open grasslands begin to lose their habitat. Wildlife displaced by prairie loss include migratory birds such as Eastern meadowlark, Henslow’s sparrow, Bachman’s sparrow, Northern bobwhite, dickcissel, loggerhead shrike, American kestrel, and LeConte’s sparrow, and mammals like foxes, rodents, coyotes, raccoons, skunks, and pocket gophers.
Fire as a Tool for Renewal
On a cool February morning when weather conditions were just right, a crew from Raven Environmental set fire to Marysee. The dry grasses helped carry the fire from one end of the prairie to the other, killing off woody stems and removing debris, such as tree limbs and old stumps. Flames rose as high as 10 feet in areas where woody species were clumped together but the regularly mowed perimeter of the prairie prevented the fire from escaping into adjacent properties.
Taken by Kevin Mundroff with Raven Environmental.
The state of the prairie could not be maintained without the use of prescribed fire. By burning every 3 to 4 years, succession is reset: woody encroachment is killed off, the seed bank is awakened, and the soil is ready to flush out new grasses and herbaceous plants. Although fire is important to its existence, one might not think this way if they were to take a look at the prairie within the first couple of weeks following the burn. Black soot and dead stems are all that remain of the once gloriously green field. But return three weeks after the fire, and you’ll see the nubs of grasses beginning to push up through the soil surface. At two months, it’s hard to tell that a fire swept through the prairie unless you look for char at the base of the remnant pines. By four months, it’s back to business as usual, with grasses reaching knee height and a smorgasbord of vibrant wildflowers blooming in all directions.
Taken by Jamie Hooker.