Neighbors Reclaiming the Prairie, One Prescribed Burn at a Time

Formed by landowners in Nebraska's Loess Canyons in the early 2000s, the alliance shares drip torches, water trucks and know-how so neighbors can safely conduct prescribed burns that push back invasive eastern redcedar. A six-year, University of Nebraska-led study of the fire-treated landscape found grassland bird species richness increased across 65% of the roughly 90,000-hectare study area. The model has since inspired dozens of sister burn associations across the Great Plains, turning landowner-led "good fire" into a regional movement.