Controlled Prairie Burn, Flint Hills, Kansas

Ranchers and conservationists start controlled burns in the Kansas Flint Hills, replicating a natural fire to preserve the native prairie by burning back shrubs and trees. The Flint Hills, historically known as Bluestem Pastures or Blue Stem Hills, is a region in eastern Kansas and north-central Oklahoma named for the abundant residual flint eroded from the bedrock that lies near or at the surface. The Flint Hills Ecoregion is designated as a distinct region because it has the most dense coverage of intact tallgrass prairie in North America. Due to its rocky soil, the early settlers were unable to plow the area, resulting in the predominance of cattle ranches, which are in turn largely benefited by the tallgrass prairie.