MPF Applies for Land Trust Reaccreditation: Public Input Invited

Trainees practiced selective thinning of eastern red cedars to open the woodland canopy. Credit: Lilly Germeroth

During MPF’s annual Prairie & Woodland Management Training, participants developed and practiced skills including prescribed fire management, forest stand improvement techniques, and chainsaw use. These skills will be utilized moving forward by a diverse cohort of private landowners, early- and mid-career professionals, and students from across the state. 

The training began with an introduction from MPF’s Director of Prairie Management, Jerod Huebner, and an explanation of the importance of fire to prairie ecology. The group then moved to facilitate a prescribed burn on a portion of a prairie remnant while conditions were conducive. Low winds from a steady direction and moderate humidity made the first day of the training suitable for burning. After notifying the local Rural Fire Department of the burn plan, participants took turns using various equipment and performing essential tasks: setting a line of fire drip torches, monitoring the lines,  and snuffing out smoldering spots with flappers and rakes. Instructors—including Huebner, MPF Stewardship Technician Clifford Barratt, and volunteers Glenn Longworth, David Young, Vernon Elsberry, and Bruce Palmer—provided the expert guidance and monitoring necessary to make the training safe and successful. 

Following a group with lively discussion about the morning’s fire and new professional connections, the group took advantage of the continued favorable weather to attempt a burn of the leaf litter in the adjoining woodland. Participants established a fireline with leaf blowers and rakes before the woodland burn began. While the damp conditions within the woods prevented fire from carrying readily, more open portions with drier litter did carry flame, allowing participants to compare the complexities of burning in different environments. 

The next day began with discussion of prairie ecology, the prairie pre-Euro-American settlement, the history of prairies and woodlands in western Missouri, and the use of herbicide in prairie management. The session then transitioned into technical instruction of chainsaw use and safety. Outfitted with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)—including chaps, hard hats, leather gloves, ear protection, and safety glasses—trainees into small groups with instructors to practice felling trees and “limbing” them (cutting them into smaller pieces to be consolidated into piles). The primary tree falling on this property was eastern red cedar; a dense stand surrounding the prairie remnant emphasized the vital role of fire in this system. Without regular fire, cedars encroach upon and shade out prairie flora, drastically changing the landscape from diverse prairie to a cedar thicket. 

Despite a snowstorm over Sedalia, attendees gathered once more on Saturday for additional chainsaw work, stacking the cedar into piles for burning at a later date when winds are low and humidity is high. 

This training provided essential skills on the use of prescribed fire, the rationale behind forest management techniques, and the mechanics of felling and managing trees. This knowledge will be carried on by a diverse group of trainees to their private lands, municipalities, and state and federal agencies.

Any questions about MPF’s management training can be directed to Conservation Program Associate Lilly Germeroth, at lilly@moprairie.org.  

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