The goal was to restore one of the Ozarks’ rarest ecosystems, a type of dry, rocky grassland known as a glade. To bring back the grass, we had to clear it of trees. Under the trees’ dense canopy, the native grassland species couldn’t thrive. If the glade had remained covered in trees for a couple more decades, it might have been too late. But with the tree cover gone and sunlight pouring in, woodland species are now giving way to the grassland species.

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Persons: Neal Humke Locations: greenbrier, ragweed