Hip hop take on fire restoration

Have you ever wanted to record a rap song about how fire benefits a grassland ecosystem?  Well someone has beaten you to it. Two people actually.  I don’t know who they are, but Patrick Sullivan and Brett Smith have their names attached to this.  Word on the street is that they are associated with a fire crew for The Nature Conservancy.

You can hear it for yourself at: Grasslands.

The lyrics are found below…

“Run RMNP”

By Patrick Sullivan and Brett Smith

Age, Die, Change, Grow
It’s the way of Nature and we repeat the cycle.
Change, Grow, Young, Life
It’s the way of Nature and we repeat the cycle.

Age – Grow – Die – Burn – Change – Life – Grow – Burn X 2
It’s the way of Nature and we repeat the cycle.

I find myself in a grassland
A fragile place like it’s glass man
Aggressive species introduce, reproduce, so profuse
it’s abuse how this place has filled up with white spruce

The Situation’s dire, we need a fire
To maintain integrity. 
That’s why we write prescriptions for each and every tree
You know that history’s repeated it’s not defeated
Just look at the way that the grasslands been re-seeded
With poplar and jack pine and all them other trees
Aggressive vegetation brings a grassland to its knees.

But you can ask me why? This method is employed doesn’t burning down the forest create a giant void.  Didn’t Smokey tell me when I was young
took me by the shoulder said listen hear son.
Only you can prevent forest fires!
PSSSSfft  What a load!
I guess the story of the grassland has never been told.
You see that fire is a way to facilitate, it helps trees grow and plants regenerate,
Fire can destroy but its still our friend
and that’s why we’ll come back next year and burn it again.