Today's podcast is going to talk about prescribed fire! We call it prescribed because even though anyone who does fire management as part of their job loves the thrill of fire, these are controlled burns for the purpose of disturbance-based management. Prairies are a disturbance-based habitat, which means they need disturbance in order to persist. Without it, they will change into a forest or become overgrown with non-prairie species. Joe Blastick (TNC) and Chris Smith (MNDOT) will share their experiences with fire management and how we can use this tool more effectively to achieve healthy, functioning grasslands that have a diversity of wildlife using and living in them. For resources and more details related to today's episode, find us on the web at mndnr.gov/prairiepod