ABSTRACT: Following decades of focused fire suppression efforts in the early to mid-20th century, prescribed fire as a landscape management tool faced heated controversy as the concept and its application in Missouri landscapes developed in the 1980’s. By the 1990’s, prescribed fire became a common and accepted practice to maintain fire-adapted natural communities to the benefit of their associated flora and fauna. Missouri State Parks took a leading role in applying prescribed fire to a variety of natural communities statewide and now maintains over 42,000 acres within a burn rotation with nearly 10,000 acres burned annually throughout Missouri State Park lands. Contemporarily, prescribed fire in is again under a microscope as some within the greater conservation community have shared concerns regarding potential negative impacts from prescribed fire to natural communities. Primary questions include burn seasonality, application methods and where fire is applied. This brief discussion will explore steps Missouri State Parks staff are taking and challenges they are encountering to best replicate historic fire processes for the benefit of flora and wildlife in Missouri State Park landscapes. Additionally, preliminary findings from recent research and monitoring efforts to address potential negative fire impacts will be shared.
