Prescribed Burning during Winter for Maintenance of Buffelgrass

Abstract

Neither a single burn during late winter nor a second burn 2 years later reduced the density of mixed brush dominated by blackbrush acacia, honey mesquite, and twisted acacia which had invaded buffelgrass seedings on the South Texas Plains. Based on canopy cover and height, most woody species had recovered to preburn status after two growing seasons. Buffelgrass responded by a flush of spring growth during the year of burning and cumulative herbage production exceeded that of unburned areas for three growing seasons after the single burn. However, during dry growing conditions, less buffelgrass herbage was produced on burned than on unburned areas. A second burn tended to increase buffelgrass herbage production compared to the single burn. However, when moisture became limiting, less herbage was also produced on the twice-burned areas. Disappearance of buffelgrass, attributed primarily to grazing, closely paralleled herbage production, with the greatest disappearance occurring the first growing season after the burn.