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Goals of the Fire Program | Commonly Asked Questions
Photo Points | Prescribed Fire Slide Show
News Release (54 KB Adobe pdf file)
Below is a series of four photographs of a prairie on the Fish Lake Waterfowl Production Area. Once burned, this native prairie site is often harvested in the fall for the rare and valuable prairie seed. The harvested seed is then used to seed new WPA acquisitions or easements throughout the Windom District creating additional nesting habitat for a variety of waterfowl and grassland bird species. By clicking on the dates, you can see the growth of the warm-season grasses and other prairie plants.
May 12 - Conducted prescribed fire for future seed harvest. Fire removed dead plant material which helps to stimulate native prairie plants.
June 3 - Three weeks later. In just a few weeks, the warm season grasses and forbs have begun to sprout.
July 13 - Two months later. Native prairie grasses and forbs are approximately 1-2 feet in height.
August 12 - Three months later. Native prairie plants are approximately 3-4 feet in height. The prescribed fire has dramatically increased seed production of the prairie plants. Seed harvest typically begins by early to mid September.
May 12 | June 3 | July 13 | August 12
