Improvement of Gulf Cordgrass Range with Burning or Shredding

Abstract

Shredding or burning during the spring, summer, or winter increased the live gulf cordgrass standing crop, decreased the dead gulf cordgrass standing crop, and increased the percentage of plants supporting inflorescences by the end of the first growing season after treatment on a clay site. The most favorable growth responses resulted from treatment in the spring, apparently because subsequent rainfall was greater than following summer treatments. Shredding generally stimulated herbaceous yields more than burning. Presumably the heavy mulch cover after shredding improved moisture relationships relative to the bare surface following fires. Burning or shredding resulted in less favorable responses on a saline fine sand than on the clay site. However, on the saline fine sand as on the clay site, shredding promoted production of gulf cordgrass more than did burning. Both methods are effective for improving gulf cordgrass range for livestock grazing, but burning is apparently the more economical alternative.