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From: Geography Department <>
Subject: Re: Fw: [INPCRP] Burning cemeteries
Date: Tue, 04 Sep 2001 14:41:09 -0500
References: <d1.c13946b.28c67a33@aol.com>


I think the idea of burning the cemeteries to keep the grasses growing and free
of the trees and vines that so often choke them out is that the grass fire burns
pretty quickly and not so hot. But it has to be done often, not once every ten
years or so. If it is done annually then the vegetation that makes for a hot
fire that damages the stones does not have time to grow. Cemeteries that have
had continuous fire control have tombstones that are not damaged. Most of those
cemeteries burned on a regular basis before we started building houses around
them. When they sat on the edge of the prairie, they may have burned several
times a year, any time lightning struck the ground. I think more damage to
tombstones has happened in the more recent past, from careless mowing or no
mowing which allowed tree roots to turn over stones or be covered in vines, or
cows knocking them over. Some times we have to destroy in order to maintain. If
you want to click on this link, here is a cemetery that has had regular burning
and as you can see, the tombstones are not damaged.
http://www.iupui.edu/~geogdept/prairie.jpg I think this is the last I will have
to say on this subject because I have just about exhausted my knowledge of the
subject but I do remember starting a grass fire when I was a small child sent out
to burn the trash (my, how did we ever survive childhood?) and I know it burned
fast and was out so fast that hardly any one even knew it happened except for the
big black spot on the ground and even that was gone in a week or so. It was at
the edge of the alley and I guess I was lucky that I didn't burn myself up, but
heck, I was standing there with a big box of kitchen matches to light the trash
with so I probably just did a fire dance and stamped out the flames that came
close to me and watched the rest of it burn. (It never ceases to amaze me that
my parents had another child after they had me.) But my point is, all it burned
was the grass, no trees, no buildings, especially not the garage, which was very
close to the trash burner and if it had burned, there definitely wouldn't have
been another child, since one or both of my parents would have been in jail for
strangling me. Joyce Haibe


wrote:

> John Sawhill, ten year president of the nature conservancy is quoted on the
> newest calendar: "In the end, our society will be defined not only by what
> we create, but by what we refuse to destroy.".. .. My thinking is this: such
> agencies as the Nature Conservancy are doing a great job of re- creating
> prairies, protecting wetlands, etc.. I could understand setting aside a site
> to allow native grasses to be managed and allow it to honor the persons(
> Native Americans or otherwise) whose burial sites are unknown), but I can't
> for the life of me see why one would burn in a cemetery with stones which
> have been carved,set on bases, and probably lugged to the site of the burials
> on horseback, wagon,and carefully placed to serve as a -monument- to the one
> whose burial site they mark...Let's preserve the burial sites and care for
> the -monuments- and let another group be in charge of sustaining the native
> grasses.......Just my thinking...Ruth Pride Wheatland..Knox Co.
>
> ==== INPCRP Mailing List ====
> "Show me your cemeteries, and I will tell you what kind of people you have."
> Benjamin Franklin (1706 - 1790)

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