Cedar Creek LTER
Cedar Creek Long Term Ecological Research
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Prescribed Burning
Cedar Creek manages the prairies and now-rare oak savannas by setting controlled fires called prescribed burns.
Large tracts of prairie and oak savanna once covered parts of Anoka and Isanti Counties. Fires started by lightning would sweep through these habitats and the native flora and fauna became adapted to periodic burning. Since towns and homes have been established in nearby areas, it has become too dangerous to allow such natural fires to burn freely. Cedar Creek manages the prairies and now-rare oak savannas by setting controlled fires called prescribed burns.Cedar Creek has been practicing prescribed burning since the 1960s, making it one of the longest ongoing scientific fire experiments in the world. Researchers at Cedar Creek study the effects of fire at individual, community, and ecosystem levels with the goal of maintaining the prairies and developing effective restoration methods for the savanna. Learn More
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