Fire maintenance of mechanically thinned woodland savannas

Jacobs, B.

Fire effects in mechanically thinned, piñon-juniper woodlands were evaluated during a three-year study to assess prescribed burning as a tool for maintenance of 'restored' woodland savanna structure. Periodic fire disturbance of woodland savannas is considered an ecologically based management option for long-term maintenance of a more open and patchy stand structure, associated herbaceous cover, soil stability, and hydrologic function. An optimal, initial fire entry would cull tree reproduction, reduce woody sub-shrub dominance, improve nutrient availability, and enhance herbaceous cover and productivity. Evaluating the effects of fire in woodland savannas can also provide insights into the historic role of fire disturbance in defining the local distribution and species composition of woodland communities. Our results suggest that prescribed fire can be used to cull non-rhizomatous woody seedlings, and thus maintain open stand structure, but excessive fuel loading, insufficient grass cover, or severe burn intensities and associated negative impacts on herbaceous cover, may limit restoration success.