This Burn if for the Birds

On this day - eight months ago - we set our backyard on fire.  It was deliberate.  And planned.  It is known as a Prescribed Burn.

And afterward it looked like this

Controlled burns such as this accomplish a number of things.  Included among them are:

1. Fire removes excess fuel (built-up thatch) thereby reducing the risk of an out-of-control wildfire.
2. Fire returns valuable nutrients to the soil
3. Fire kills undesirable woody vegetation, invasive plant species and the blackened earth warms-up quickly in the spring sunshine stimulating the growth of desirable native plants
4. Following the application of fire the resulting flush of desirable plant regrowth is a benefit to wildlife – including insects, reptiles, amphibians, mammals and birds

And by August it looks like this

And by January it looked like this

As you can see in this progress report photo there's no greenery or flowers - only a field of dry, brown stems, tipped-over and covered by the recent snows.  

However, if you look closely you will note that there are seed heads on the grasses and flower stalks that are a food source for birds and smaller rodents that over-winter here.  These smaller animals are prey to larger weasels, mink, coyotes and raptors.  The cavities and crevasses that are created as the stiff grasses fold-over and are covered with snow provide insulated cover for all manner of critters to hide, nest, hang-out and live thru some of nature's harshest months. 

So even when you think there's nothing happening in winter - there's actually a lot going-on in a complex wildlife web of survival. 

It is more than just for the birds - I'd like to think of it as the burn that keeps on giving......