Keeping them healthy is important, not just for prairie chickens but for the meadowlark, bobolink, Henslow's sparrow, kestrel, short-eared owl, upland sandpiper, the regal fritillary butterfly, Franklin's ground squirrel and the badger. The prairie chicken habitat in central Wisconsin is not prairie or savanna. For the most part it's drained marshes, but it's the closest thing the state has to large, natural grasslands. Keir and Barnier said a prescribed burn is a coordinated effort involving DNR management staff and fire control people, the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point fire crew, and the Wisconsin Conservation Corps in Portage County. They consist of a strip of ground plowed down to bare mineral soil, plus a belt of mowed vegetation.
Weather conditions have to be right.
It can't be raining, of course, but it also can't be too dry and windy. Humidity is important. Weather forecasts are watched closely, and the weather is monitored continuously at the scene of the burn. Fire can create its own weather, with the heat causing a wind shift. People living in the prairie chicken areas are used to seeing smoke in the sky in spring, but they're informed before burning takes place.