Ecological balance

The effect of fire on the Missouri landscape covers thousands of years, during which forests and prairies battled to be the dominant vegetation. Climate, soil, plants, grazing animals and fire all interact to determine what type of vegetation occupies a given area. In general, forests require more rainfall to survive than grasslands. West of Missouri where the climate is drier, grasslands dominate throughout the vast area known as the Great Plains. As rainfall increases toward the east, forests tend to replace grasslands, but local conditions can tip the ecological balance back in favor of grasslands. All of Missouri receives enough precipitation to support forests, but when other factors act to limit the growth of trees and shrubs, grasslands dominate. Changes in these limiting factors easily return the advantage to forests.