In addition to these very real management reasons to burn the prairie, we burn our home prairie and the labyrinth it holds to remember that from ashes resurrection happens - and in the prairie, this resurrection shows itself in fresh green shoots almost as soon as the flames are extinguished.  This is why we try to do the burn on Good Friday.  It is an act of remembrance, pure and simple. 

Each time we burn a prairie - and we've burned lots of them, I am reminded of the sheer power of fire.  As transformative as fire is to the prairie, it can quickly take on a life of its own - jumping fire breaks, feeding itself into a roaring frenzy, and burning things that are not intended to be burned - trucks, trees, neigbors' fields.   We know this, as it happened to us last fall...

One minute we were coyly enjoying the almost mundane act of burning our prairie near Iowa Falls, and the next I was punching in 911 on my cell phone as I was running and beating at out-of-control flames that were whipped by ever increasing winds into a raging inferno.  By the grace of God, and the swift and good work of two volunteer fire departments our raging inferno was tamed, and our inflated prairie-burning egos reduced to the ash from which green shoots sprout.

And so, when we burned our home prairie recently we came to the burn with scorched and humbled egos AND the fresh shoots of respect for the power of fire and the need for extra care and planning in our prairie burns.  These green shoots of respect and care led us into a burning experience that was powerful - but contained, and sure knowledge of resurrection here-and-now and forever.  "Now the green blade riseth..." 

May it always be so!

--mary

www.souloftheprairie.com