At Stegall Mountain on Peck Ranch, abundance comes from fire

Crews from across the Midwest conducted a controlled burn at Peck Ranch Conservation Area near Fremont, Missouri, on Thursday, blackening 4,032 acres on Stegall Mountain, Thorny Mountain and Denning Hollow. The fires were part of a decadeslong effort to restore the Ozark's unique glade habitats, a goal that is paying off in increased native diversity, restored habitat and successfully reintroduced species.

Hand crews on the scene included personnel from the Missouri Department of Conservation, National Park Service, Americorps, Ozark National Scenic Riverway and parks from Arkansas to North Dakota — and even a trainee from Denali National Park in Alaska.

Burn boss Scott Bressler said there were 27 people in all, and staff often chip in to help other parks.

"All these people are within the Midwest region, so we all help each other," he said

Hand crews armed with rakes, axes, flares and drip torches surrounded Stegall Mountain, lighting carefully plotted lines of fire that converged on the mountainside and burned themselves out. Keeping fires under control involves planning and constant weather readings, plus an understanding of how topography and the fire itself move air masses.

"It's like putting a jigsaw puzzle together," said Bobby Bloodworth, fire management officer.

As they go, crews watch for "slops" of fire that spill over roads and other boundaries, and "spots" that ignite farther away from embers carried on the wind. If one of these does graduate to a wildfire, it is typically easier to contain than in other areas because there is less fuel on the ground and more advantageous climate conditions.

"In this area they're not as dangerous as, say, the western fires," explained Josh Chilton, Jacks Fork park interpreter. "We don't have the buildup the western states have."

The Ozarks are made up of ecotones, convergences of ecosystems, including tall grass prairie, glades and woodlands.

"We've got every convergence in here. People should be proud, we have a very high diversity within the Ozarks," Bloodworth said.

Prescribed burns are vital to maintaining and restoring habitats, such as glades. Glades are wide, open spaces within forests, carpeted in prairie grasses and interspersed with mature trees. Many were lost to logging and indiscriminate ground-clearing fires set by settlers, and did not recover when the forests regrew — instead, they were overtaken by cedars and shrubs, creating dense forests.

"Our whole goal is to get it to some historical semblance of what it was," Bloodworth said.

To do this, ecologists use modern geology and the historical records left by settlers. After tracking down former glades, they examine them and determine how to start thinning and burning. Dendrochronology, or the science of reading tree rings, allowed scientists to determine the area's fire history. Old trees show a natural cycle of major fires every three to 10 years. The current schedule of controlled burns in two to seven years, with the goal to eventually return to the old schedule.

One glade under restoration sits near Rocky Falls. The spacious, comparatively bright ellipse is almost back to its original state, according to Bloodworth.

"We're getting a feel of how the European settlers would've seen this," he said.

Native Americans were the first to use controlled burns in the Ozarks, and the region also experienced the occasional natural wildfire because of lightning strikes. Settlers used uncontrolled burns to clear land and enrich soil. Fire ecologist Dan Drees said by the end of the Great Depression, the Ozarks were over-harvested and over-burned. Later, people suppressed all fire for fear it would spread out of control.

This attitude began shifting early in Drees's parks career. Stegall Mountain began prescribed burns in the 1980s, placing itself at the cutting edge of fire-based habitat management. The burn zones expanded over time, eventually consolidating into the 4,000-plus acre unit it is today.

Data paints a drastic difference before and after fires.

"On the glades, we've had a 100% increase after five burns in our species richness of natural wildflowers and prairie grasses," Drees said, adding the volume of native plants increased 460%, and the biodiversity of the surrounding woods rose 260%.

Some species' reintroductions to the Ozarks were made possible by fire, including the eastern collared lizard, brown-headed nuthatch and elk. All of these prefer or require glade habitat.

As he watched smoke draw up the sides of Stegall Mountain, Drees noted the aftermath of a controlled burn looks barren, but vegetation bounces back fast. With rain and warm spring weather incoming, he predicted the blackened hillsides would be "green as spinach" in a few weeks.

In addition to revitalizing plants, fire also boosts the diets for all grass-eating animals. Ash is high in phosphate, a popular ingredient in fertilizer, which reacts with calcium in the soil to form calcium phosphates. Calcium phosphates are more readily absorbed by plants, giving everything consuming those plants a diet rich in calcium. Young deer and elk born in the season after a burn are healthier because they have stronger bones and get more milk from their mothers. Meanwhile, bull elk and buck deer grow larger antlers.

All of the work scientists and park staff put into restoring the Ozarks required changing the attitudes around fire. Not long ago, it was seen as destructive force to be extinguished. Thanks to research and education, it is now understood as an essential part of renewal and growth, benefiting the Ozarks and everyone who visits them.

"Fortunately, folks in the Ozarks have been very good about accepting fire as an essential management tool," Drees said.