How these neighbors use fire to revitalize their communities, and land
On a weekday morning in south-central Nebraska, friends and neighbors assemble around a bright red cargo trailer parked in front of a white farmhouse with a wraparound porch. Flatbed farm trucks loaded with water tanks and mud-spattered four-wheelers are parked nearby, while shovels and rakes placed against the trailer stand upright at the ready. People have come to set fire to this ground in what's called a prescribed burn and reclaim acres from invading trees swallowing up the grassland.
The landowners who gathered this morning are pooling their knowledge, equipment and resources to conduct a planned fire on private lands. Weather conditions need to be safe: no high winds or overly dry terrain. Local authorities have to sign off. State regulations guide the process. During the burn, an experienced leader directs a trained crew, which, today includes corn farmers, cattle ranchers, a horse breeder, a retired border control agent, wildlife biologists and prescribed fire coordinators. They share a common belief:
Fire is not always bad; trees are not always good. By
