hello fellow wisconsinite.

first, ud be suprised how clear the land will be with repeated roundup in one year (tho u dont know what's lurking).

second, once the 'prairie' is planted, without burning (which is what a prairie needs, everything else is just a problem waiting to happen) how do u plan to manage this area?

comment: mowed down grass that is 5 in. high isnt a serious fire control issue. grass that is 3 ft tall is. and pines do well if burned as long as they dont matchstick burst into flames and u protect them a bit.

third, ive tried to drag a field clean once and it was a serious waste of time. u can do more with a rake and a few kids.

4th. make sure u get good seed from a local nursery. we got the best around here, dont put in serious time in prep and put a crap mix in. make sure u get the proper mix for ur soils and management techniques.

good luck and invite me over in a few years for a walk thru and some lemonaide.

froggy

second to what froggy said.

in addition: i think if you get the mow short enough, the snow and frost will work your seeds into the soil for you. the plants in nature dont have thatch removed and they seem to spread via seed. granted, the germination rate will probably be lower than using a seed drill. it just seems to me that removing all of that thatch is alot of work, perhaps more work than worth the benefits.

if its a large area i really would reconsider burning. for long term maintenance of a prairie - you get the weed control and plant stimulation if you can burn. of course fire is nothing to play around with either, there are qualified/certified crews who would burn for you... i am sure that you realize a prairie fire when done properly should not harm a tree farm or nearby homes. - there is prep work and wind and moisture conditions required to perform a burn.

if you do remove the thatch - i believe you can rent that equipment rather than purchase it and then you can compost the material.