Savannahs
Oaks are part of a unique ecosystem composed of oak forests and tall grass prairies, similar to the Oak Savannahs in Africa. Hundreds of years ago, the mature and fire-resistant oaks would have created an edge to the prairie with their thick cork bark. However, due to the lack of fire on the prairies, aspen have encroached and would continue to engulf the tall grass prairie at the Living Prairie Museum if it were not for a plan to manage them, enabling the oak’s return to the prairie edge.