Film

For centuries fire burned across Missouri’s prairies and forests, creating a flourishing ecosystem. But American expansion west and decades of fire suppression altered the landscape and our perceptions of healthy forests. Missouri’s trees are aging and native prairies have been decimated. Today, fire is returning as a tool in conservation. Landowners, government agencies and conservation organizations are sending fire through the landscape to promote open, healthy forests, deer and turkey populations and insects foundational to the ecosystem. They are navigating the right fire in the right place at the right time, but fire remains a dangerous beast.