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Our grasslands and the species that call them home evolved with regular burning; now fire is largely absent from the prairies. We are seeing mounting fuel loads increasing the risk of more damaging fires, while woody encroachment and shifting plant populations are changing how our few remaining grasslands look. As Manitoba’s first and only prescribed burn association, the Stuartburn PBA is safely bringing fire back onto the landscape through prescribed burns, training, and education.
Laura worked as the botanist for the Manitoba Tall Grass Prairie Preserve from 1994 - 2012, monitoring, among other things, the effects of prescribed fire and other management techniques, on the vegetation within several habitat types. In that time, she participated in many prescribed burns with the Manitoba Naturalists Society and the Nature Conservancy of Canada. She currently resides next to the Preserve and, after two destructive wildfires in the RM, is eager to get fire back on the land in a controlled manner. Together with Bert Baumgartner, she started the Stuartburn Prescribed Burn Association in early 2023.