Across Kansas’ mighty prairie, spring has historically been the time of year when landowners choose to burn native grasses, though recently they’ve also warmed to the idea of fall burning.

John Weir says landowners have even more options than that.

“Fire is good and effective any time of year; we don’t need to limit ourselves to certain seasons to be burning,” said Weir, whose 33-year career at Oklahoma State University includes being the fire boss for nearly 1,450 prescribed burns.

Weir is scheduled to talk about opportunities for landowners to burn native grasses any time of year during the Kling L. Anderson Lecture, hosted by Kansas State University’s Department of Agronomy.

His talk, Burning Outside the Box, will take place at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 7 in Throckmorton Plant Sciences Center, room 1018. There is no charge to attend the lecture.

Weir spent 16 years in Oklahoma State’s research range unit, west of Stillwater, and the past 17 as an associate extension specialist in the natural resources ecology and management department. His research on the effects of fire, seasonal burns and fire ecology spans 30 years.

His talk will be the 23rd Kling L. Anderson lecture, which was established to enhance training in range and forage management. Anderson was a leader of K-State’s pasture management program for 29 years, beginning his career in 1938.

More information on this year’s lecture also is available from K-State’s Department of Agronomy.