Green Horizons

Prescribed Burning at Thorny Mountain

Periodic burning at Thorny Mountain, in Shannon County, Missouri, helps restore and maintain the glade habitat and woodland characteristics of the mountain. Burns remove leaf litter and open up the canopy, so more sunlight can reach the forest floor. As a result, the understory has a diversity of grasses and forbs that are beneficial for wildlife.

The photos from the prescribed burning at Thorny Mountain show staff from the National Park Service and the Missouri Department of Conservation assisting the Nature Conservancy’s seasonal burn crew. All prescribed fire photos are from Rebecca Landewe at the Nature Conservancy. The Eastern

COURTESY OF Rebecca Landewe	COURTESY OF Rebecca Landewe
COURTESY OF Rebecca Landewe	COURTESY OF Rebecca Landewe

The Eastern Collared (Crotaphytus collaris) lizard, shown below, benefits greatly from prescribed fire. More about them can be found at http://news.wustl.edu/news/ Pages/22557.aspx. Photo by Alan R. Templeton/WUSTL.

COURTESY OF Alan R. Templeton