| It sounds like you are already on the right track. I'll leave it to subsequent posters to add exceptions to the rule, but basically, a prairie lacks trees. Cutting buckthorn is a great first step. The best thing you can do for a prairie is to burn it in a safe and responsible manner. That is not possible in every neighborhood, but it does things like blacken the soil and create seedbeds for prairie plants that will not reproduce well without fire. If fire is not an option, you will want to mow or graze the field periodically, as necessary to kill trees and shrubs. Best time to mow is August/September - maybe every three years or so. More if tree seedlings are problematic. Most of the prairie plants biomass is in the roots. Cutting or burning is like picking an apple off a tree. No real harm. But shade will kill a prairie. Oh, and no fertilizer, compost, manure, etc. That only favors weeds, shrubs, and trees. Many corporate campuses are converting acres of lawn to prairie because there is so much less cost, so much less to do to maintain a prairie. I would also suggest learning what non-native exotic plants (other than buckthorn) grow in your area. Then watch for them in your prairie. | 
