Vol. 15. No. 8 
Page 3 
patches so characteristic of an August burn may account for the limited 
nesting recorded in the spring after an August burn. March burns often result 
In more complete removal of vegetative debris, and there is little time for 
vegetative growth and duff accumulation prior to the initiation of the 
earliest (early April) prairie chicken nests in southern Illinois. 
August of 1970 and 1971 were both considered too dry to conduct prescribed 
burning of the proper intensity. Thus, only a limited amount of burning was 
applied during August of these years. By contrast, over 5 inches of rain was 
recorded on the Bogota Study Area during the first 2 weeks of August 1972. 
The high level of soil moisture now provides a prime opportunity for prescribed 
burning on the prairie chicken sanctuaries. 
