Re: Native Warm Season Grass What if I don't burn?
There is a good article posted in
Prairie Source about the merits of burning NWSG.
For anyone who is managing a stand of NWSG or interested in starting one, I would suggest reading the article in full.
Studies such as this one might be a little "blah blah" but if your interested in using NWSG stands to hold big whitetails then managing it correctly is important.
Just a few key points from the article...
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">D.A. Dokken in Proceedings of the Fifth Midwest Prairie Conference reported: on deep soil, stem density of big bluestem was significantly reduced in one year without burning, and for indiangrass and sideoats grama in 3 years. Kentucky bluegrass, in contrast increased in stem density with time after burning. </div></div>
Now that point should make you instantly aware of the need for timely burns!
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Gibson reported that both the percentage of and cover of C4 species (native warm season grasses) and all grasses decrease as the prairie remains unburnt. An interesting study by Gilliam looked at the interception of precipitation by grass canopies. The mean interception for the study period was 38 and 19% for the unburned and burned prairie, respectively, indicating that throughfall volume in burned prairie was approximately 1.3 times that of unburned prairie on a annual basis. Thus, water availability for plant uptake may be initially higher in burned prairie, especially early in the growing season. Briggs in 1992 found that without burning and with adequate moisture levels, the number of trees increased over a five year period by over 60%, while in an area burned annually the number of trees decreased.
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So the prairie can soak up more soil moisture and invasive trees are held to a minimum by burning.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Knapp, now studying the effects of detritus accumulation on productivity, reported a strong negative impact of plant litter production on subsequent ecosystem function. These deleterious effects on plant litter include: a reduction in available light energy to the system; an alteration of the microclimate and physiology of emerging shoots such that carbon dioxide uptake is reduced; a conversion of immediately usable inorganic nitrogen in rainwater to less readily available organic nitrogen in microbial biomass; an inhibition of nitrogen fixation by free living microbes and blue-green algae as a result of phosphorus and/or light limitation; and a reduction in soil temperatures, which diminishes root productivity, invertebrate activities, and probably microbial activities as well. Fire and grazing therefore become necessary, integral ecosystem processes that maintain productivity of tallgrass prairie by the removal of standing and fallen litter.
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That's a mouth full but it helps us understand how intricately delicate the NWSG ecosystem is and how reliant it is upon burning.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> Upland and lowland prairie communities burned in spring at intervals from 1 to 11 years were constantly dominated by big bluestem. With increasing intervals between fires other dominant warm season grasses, little bluestem and indiangrass, had decreased cover, whereas forbs and woody species had increased cover. Aboveground biomass was higher on an annual burned versus unburned lowland prairie, due to stimulated grass production. Sites unburned for 10 or more years were converting to woodlands.
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Don't burn and the prairie just...fades away......
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">What effect does not burning have on native grasses? In the absence of any management at all, during the first 3 to 4 years it will provide some good wildlife habitat.
From the 4th year on it will be too thick for most wildlife and over time, probably 10 years or less, the native grasses will be overrun with cool season grasses and trees.
Grazing and/or haying can negate or delay some of the effects mentioned, but not all. The physiological processes which depend upon burning cannot be replaced by any management means.
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If the you are unable to burn the article notes some things that can be helpful to keep your prairie viable longer although it will be difficult to maintain it long term.
Just another point made to allow for burn lanes when planning and planting your new prarie.
I just love my prairie this time of year!
The Indiangrass is especially beautiful right now...
It's like a "wall"...a jungle that deer just "fade away" into it and I love watching them pop out of it into the foodplots...
Our forests and prairies are natural habitat that can be managed to the fullest to enhance it for whitetails and other wildlife. All of this with a very minimum of inputs compared to our food plots.
Burning is a very effective and natural tool that increases browse and cover in both timber and fields...learn to use that tool safely to give your land the edge in holding mature whitetails and making your property beautiful as well. /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif
