Burning Upland, Mixed Prairie in Badlands National Park
Whisenant SG and Uresk DW. 1989. Burning Upland, Mixed Prairie in Badlands National Park. Prairie Naturalist. 21(4):221-227
"Burning research in the northern mixed prairie has focused on sites considered to be more productive, although prescribed burning is usually conducted on heterogeneous landscapes with many different sites. Understanding the impacts of fire on less productive sites is a critical component in planning the frequency of prescribed burning of natural areas. The effects of burning in either April or October were measured on a droughty, upland site in west central South Dakota. Spring burning reduced blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis) and western wheatgrass (Agropyron smithii) production for 2 growing seasons, depending on postburn precipitation. Threadleaf sedge (Carex filifolia) productivity was increased by burning in April and October when precipitation was above average but was reduced when postburn precipitation was low. Needle-and-thread (Stipa comata) production was generally reduced for 2-3 years by burning in either April or October. Recovery of needle-and-thread, western wheatgrass, and threadleaf sedge on an upland site of below average productivity required 1-3 years longer compared to more productive sites." (from document Abstract)
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Whisenant, Steven; Uresk, Daniel
- Units
- BADL
- Keywords
- blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis), Ecology, Fire Ecology, Fire Management, Needle-and-thread grass (Stipa comata), Plant Communities, Plant Studies, Prescribed Burns, Productivity, Threadleaf sedge (Carex filifolia), Vascular Plants, Vegetation, western wheatgrass (Agropyron smithii)