If you’ve been following our social medias for a while, you’ve heard “Black Belt Prairie” used often. But we know that you may not know exactly what it is.
You’ve likely heard of the Black Belt. And more than that, you’ve probably heard the term “Bible Belt.” Both terms are referring to a region of the south based on history, culture, and environment. In the same way, we have the Black Belt Prairie region.
The Black Belt Prairie region, though rich in culture and history, is more in reference to the environmental features. Ranging from northeast Mississippi, swooping into central Alabama, and ending in west central Alabama, the Black Belt Prairie region was so named due to the dark, fertile soils that created a beautiful and diverse ecosystem. A mixture of grasslands and forestland, this area once comprised over 355,000 acres according to an 1830s land survey.
The Black Belt Prairie became a hub for crops, cotton, and cattle because the soil made growing so easy. Overtime though, these resources began to deplete the area. Farmers then brought in other species of grasses that were not native to the area in order to feed their cows. These nonnative species disrupted the ecosystem of the prairie thereby decreasing natural fire, spreading nonnative vegetation, and eroding much of the area. Today, only approximately 1% of the initial prairie remains.
If so much of our world has changed and continue to changes, why would we need to restore it? Well, as stewards of the earth, we have a responsibility to take care of it. But we all know that knowing this and doing it are two different things.
So why should you care about the Black Belt Prairie in particular? The Black Belt Prairie is home to over 200 species of vegetation that provide food and shelter for the animals we so commonly love like white-tail deer, turkeys, quail, birds, and the ever-needed pollinators. There are at least 118 species of pollinators within the Black Belt Prairie, and they play a crucial role in earth’s ecosystem.
The vegetation found in the Black Belt Prairie also helps with water quality and carbon storage, therefore helping take care of humans. And there’s a lot of humans living within or around the Black Belt Prairie. For instance, there’s at least 10 post-secondary education schools located within the Black Belt Prairie region. This doesn’t even include cities like Tuscaloosa, Meridian, and Birmingham that are all 1-2 hours away from a point along the Black Belt Prairie.
So what does this have to do with the cedar trees we cut? Due to factors such as invasive plant species, lack of fire, overuse of the land, and erosion, Eastern Redcedar has continued to spread within the Black Belt Prairie. These trees cause further erosion, suppress needed natural fires, and don’t allow native vegetation to grow. These trees have become a huge factor in negatively affecting the ecosystem of the Black Belt Prairie.
However, big machinery is not the best for removing the cedar trees because of how delicate the soil is. That is why we have strategic methods in cutting and removing the cedar to promote restoration over just clearing. Some prairie sites are more sensitive than others. On those, we can’t remove the trees, only cut them. But thankfully, there are many areas that we can remove the trees allowing us to sale them to cover cost of restoration efforts.
So how do we know what we’re doing? Both Hunter and I grew up with a deep passion for the outdoors. But this certainly takes more than a liking of a sunset to know the best methods. Hunter has a science college background. I have completed a Masters in Science that included courses in conservation management. Above that, we work closely with wildlife professionals from both Alabama and Mississippi with any prairie project to make sure that we are fulfilling the management methods applied by these professionals. These professionals have years of experience to direct us in the best way for restoration efforts.
We love what we do for many reasons. We also know the impact that what we do has on this area, not just environmentally, but socially and culturally. Our hope is that we can also get you to think the Black Belt Prairie is as neat we do. For more information about the Black Belt Prairie and it’s history, check out the links below.
The Black Belt Prairie in Mississippi and Alabama
Alabama Black Belt Heritage Area
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