Every spring, smoke drifts across Manhattan as the prairie burns. To a newcomer, it looks like a disaster, but to those who know the Flint Hills, it is a rescue mission. Our tallgrass prairie is being invaded by swarms of Eastern Red Cedars and shrubs. If we want to save this landscape, we have to stop believing that every tree is a good tree.

We are often taught that planting trees is the best way to help the planet. While that is true in most parts of the world, trees in a prairie act as water thieves. According to K-State Research and Extension, a single mature Eastern Red Cedar can take in up to 42 gallons of water on a hot summer day. In a state that constantly faces drought, we cannot afford to let thousands of invasive trees suck all of our creeks and underground water supplies.

Beyond the water, this is about protecting the most endangered ecosystem on Earth. The National Park Service reports that less than 4% of the original tallgrass prairie remains, with the largest portion right here in northeastern Kansas. When trees move in, the grass dies, and so do the animals. Research from Oklahoma State University shows that iconic birds like the Greater Prairie Chicken will abandon any area with trees nearby because they provide perches for hawks and cover for coyotes. By letting trees grow, we are destroying a habitat that exists nowhere else.

This is also a major matter of public safety for Manhattan. As our city grows into the hills, we are building homes closer to these dense cedars. Unlike native grass, which burns quickly, Red Cedars are filled with eruptive oils. K-State research warns that these trees burn like giant torches, creating huge flames that are nearly impossible for local fire departments to control. Clearing these trees creates vital safety measures for our neighborhoods.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, woody encroachment (like cedar trees) causes losses of 22 million tons of rangeland production in the Great Plains. This means that 22 million tons of livestock and grasslands have been diminished because of the problems the Eastern Red Cedar produces.

You can find a forest in almost every state, but you can only find the Flint Hills here. Being a good neighbor in the Little Apple means picking up a chainsaw to protect our ecosystem. We aren’t hating nature, we are preserving a rare ecosystem. It is time to clear the horizon and let the prairie breathe.