This is the Rush Creek nature preserve.  This prairie and woods is being managed with annual controlled burns, much the way we want to manage our place.  Ain't it purty?

Note how the sumac is pretty much gone from the prairie.

See how open the woods are?  The burning has knocked down most of the brush that so clogs our woods. 

Here's the transition from woods to prairie.  Much more gradual and open than the abrupt edges  most of our woods have. 

A nice old oak on the edge of the woodland. 

Looking into the woods from the prairie.  See?  You can see all the way through. 

Someday that's what we'll be able to do too.

This is an area that hasn't been under management as long (just up the road from the main Rush Creek preserve).

Compare the difference between the woods to the left and right of Armand.  He's pointing into the unburned woods, a once-burned area is behind him.

Amazing how light the burned area is compared to the unburned, eh?

Here's a little glade in that same part of the preserve. 

Armand did a little thinning before they burned this area to open it up for the fire.  We'll probably do the same in several spots.

And here's Armand showing us the prairie on his farm, which is a couple miles up the same road as the Rush Creek preserve.