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Re: Fire this early??

Your are right, fire is a management tool and depending upon your desired
outcome, the timing of the burn has a great influence. In general, late burns,
when native grasses have just broken dormancy, up to 4 inches tall will favor
the native grasses. The exception being on sandy soils or in drought
conditions. Then you are most likely to damage grasses or at the very least
reduce their vigor. Later burns will help control woody vegetation. Late burns
also produce less favorable results in lower rainfall regions, < 20" annually.
In higher rainfall regions, > 30" annually, plant responses to burning is a lot
more forgiving. Early burns or dormant season burns will favor the forbs and/or
cool season grasses, so, you see, it depends upon your goals as to when you
burn. I agree that fall burns will give better woody control. However it is
important that you check with local experts, there are always local exceptions.
I live in west central MO and the native grasses are just now beginning to
break dormancy, in north MO or further north I'm sure that is not true.

In specific I have been burning CRP fescue preparing it for herbicide treatment
and conversion to CP-25, native prairie restoration. I have also been trying to
burn an 8 year old CRP native grass field with heavy litter (too windy). In
this case, the heavy litter will delay the grasses from breaking dormancy at
their normal time due to the cooling effect of the heavy litter on the soil. My
other burns are for seed production and I'm not be conducting them until the
middle or latter part of this month. This is unusually early for us. Typically
our early burns don't start until mid-April and the late burns around late
April or early May.

Burning can be done practically anytime of year. It depends upon your desired
results.

Keep the tall grasses growing,
Jef


DACESH@aol.com wrote:

> I read about prescribed burning taking place in early April, and I get a
> little concerned.  Fire is a tool, but if not properly applied, it does no
> good.  Burning this early only promotes cool season exotics;  the research
> shows the best time to use fire for controlling these exotics is at the end
> of April through mid May.
>
> GRC
>
> >This is the time in Iowa for prescribed burns.  For us pyromaniacs, that
> >takes priority.  Rain days are a chance to rest the weary muscles.
> >Terri
> >
> >Jef Hodges wrote:
> >
> >> I recently subscribed to this list serve and noticed there hasn't been
> >> much activity lately. Am I not receiving messages or is everybody busy
> >> with spring prairie stuff? Personally I've been busy burning and
> >> planning plantings. Just wondering.
> >>
> >> Keep the tall grasses growing,
> >> Jef
>
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