Prescribed fire planned for The Arboretum to support native plant life March 8, 2024 Home Explore The Naturalist's Journal Prescribed fire planned for The Arboretum to support native plant life Share FacebookTwitterEmail During the month of March, staff at The Arboretum, State Botanical Garden of Kentucky will administer a prescribed fire to help remove thatch that builds up from the grasses and wildflowers over time. The prescribed fire will allow native seeds to contact the soil surface and help prevent the sun-loving plants from getting shaded by the thatch. It will also help manage the encroachment of woody plants into the meadow that would, without management, eventually shade out the area and become a forest.