Over the course of four months, members of the Prescription Pyro company out of Broken Bow, as well as volunteer firefighters, conduct prescribed burns in wetlands along the Platte River.
This stretch of land goes from Lexington to Lincoln, and begins in February, ending in May.
Bob Harrold, with Prescription Pyro and Prairie Fire Forestry, said they burn these areas to help restore wetland bird habitats.
As the Platte River is in the main chase way for migratory birds, burning the area not only helps restore wetlands for the birds, but also battles wood encroachments.
According to the University of Nebraska Agriculture and Resources Institute, the encroachment of trees has only recently been identified as another key factor to the decline of grasslands—which have been declining globally.
“Woody plant encroachment refers to the gradual conversion or fragmentation of grassland habitat. In other words, under the right conditions, areas that were historically treeless are becoming wooded. While trees fill an important ecological niche in ecosystems and our communities, they are becoming the great disruptor in Great Plains grasslands.”
In the Clay County area, they’ve done about 30 burns.
