Important grasslands in Maine at the Kennebunk Plains and Wells Barrens have been conserved since the late 1980s In 1989 Kennebunk Plains was protected by the Land for Maine’s Future Project by the State of Maine. Prior to being purchased for conservation, Kennebunk Plains and Wells Barrens were in blueberry production until the late 1980s. Prescribed fire was used until the mid-1980s to control woody vegetation and promote blueberries.
At Kennebunk Plains, The Nature Conservancy re-implemented prescribed burning at in 1990. Controlled burning occurs on 243 hectares (600 acres) in 16 units ranging from 13 to 20 hectares (32 to 49 acres) that are burned in the spring just after leaf-out or late summer to fall following the conclusion of bird nesting season. Research in Maine focused on the frequency of controlled burning to maximize habitat for grassland nesting birds and promote rare plants such as northern blazing star (Liatris novae-angliae). To date, the burn program continues and is supplemented with periodic mowing to reduce shrub invasion on the grassland.
Wells Barrens had not been actively managed since the late 1980s. In 2015, The Nature Conservancy cut the majority of the woody vegetation on the former grassland to prepare for restoration. In addition, The Nature Conservancy cut several stands of pitch pine woodland to create early successional habitat and plans to start implementing prescribed fire.