NEAR WESTFIELD, Iowa (KTIV) -
Iowa once was all prairie.
Now only a few areas are covered with native grasses and plants.
In order to maintain the prairies that remain, they set the land on fire on purpose.
That's what trained professionals did today in the Loess Hills, near Westfield, Iowa.
And with them, some Briar Cliff University students, learning how to do a controlled prairie burn.
"It's not going to be a big fire. There's no structures. There's nothing to worry about. We are going to burn about 15 or 20 acres and everything that is there can burn. Protective gear. It's called Nomex. It doesn't burn," Bill Zales, the Prairie Hills Landowner said.
"If you don't burn on prairie you get invasive, many of our native plants like sumac, dogwood and elms and boxelders, they are fine but if you don't control them eventually you lose the prairie," Zales said.
"It's not a fire tolerant ecosystem, it's a fire a dependent ecosystem. It requires fire," Zales said.
"I am learning how the prairie reacts to fire and why it's good for us to periodically burn the prairie," Lindsey Jardine, a BCU Senior said.
"I am raking away the dead brush so we can light a nice back fire so nothing on this side of the black line gets burnt. So everything is getting pushed into the wind," Jardine said.
"In a classroom we can discuss the theory of fire and how it's good for prairies and how the plants regenerate but I think it's very important for students to get out here, smell the smoke, feel the heat, actually see how a prairie fire works," Dr. Brian Hazlett, a Briar Cliff University Professor of Biology said.
"It's the fire that maintained it and we have plenty of trees in Iowa, we have very, very little prairie left. So any little piece that we can protect and save and manage is important," Zales said.
Zales and the volunteers have all of the necessary training and notified the county fire chief and Akron fire chief of the prairie burn on Tuesday.
In order to maintain the prairies that remain, they set the land on fire on purpose.
