The lines on the map on the right show the firebreaks between different watersheds. A watershed is a major geographic unit composed of the area from one ridge top to another and includes the intervening valley. Believe it or not, fire is a natural part of the lives of the plants and animals that live on Konza Prairie. When fall arrives, the prairie grasses pull food reserves into their roots and the tops die back. Fire may appear to be destructive but, in this case, it is essential in maintaining the prairie ecosystem.
Fire recycles nutrients from the dead grass back into the soil.
Without fire, trees and shrubs would take over. Fire burns off standing dead material allowing the sun to warm and dry the soil faster than in unburned sections. Burning allows nitrogen, water and other nutrients to penetrate to all layers of soil. These resourses would not reach down to the roots if they were covered by dead vegetation. In the Konza Prairie Research Natural Area management program, some areas are burned every one, two, four, ten or twenty years.