Native Americans were able to prevent the encroachment of trees and maintain the tallgrass prairies by
A) establishing an extensive irrigation system to increase soil moisture, thus favoring grasses.
B) restricting the migrations of bison, which caused the bison to browse heavily on tree seedlings and thus kill them.
C) setting fires periodically to kill the trees.
D) plowing much of the land for agriculture.
E) clear-cutting the forests for timber and fuel.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Native Americans maintained tallgrass prairies primarily through the use of controlled burns. These periodic fires prevented the encroachment of trees by killing young saplings and thus maintained the grasslands.

Native Americans Were Able to Prevent the Encroachment of Trees