Caddo Mounds State Historic Site Prescribed Burn

This spring, Texas A&M Forest Service teamed up with the Caddo Mounds State Historic Site in Alto, TX to implement prescribed fire as a part of their native prairie restoration project. The goals of this collaboration were to burn approximately 40 acres of grassland to promote the growth and health of native grass species that are historically native to this area. The native grasses in this ecosystem have adapted with fire, and rely on the frequent occurrence of fire to eliminate unwanted vegetation and recycle nutrients back into the soil.
Texas A&M Forest Service has a long history with this site dating back to the 1940's when the agency purchased the land to grow pine tree seedlings on what was then known as the "Indian Mound Nursery." Since the closing of the nursery in the mid-2000s, the Texas Historical Commission purchased this property and began a native prairie restoration project on these same fields that were once used to farm pine tree seedlings for Texas landowners.
Watch as Andy McCrady with Texas A&M Forest Service, Anthony Souther with the Texas Historical Commission, and Allen Shadow with the USDA Plant Research Center walk us through how this project came about, and how fire plays a crucial role in the success of this ecosystem.