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Re: to trim or not ???

A late spring to fall burn weakens the grasses enough to allow suppressed forbs to strengthen.  As with any management technique there will be tradeoffs and later season burns will knock back forbs that are growing.  But, perennials won't be killed and will regenerate vigorously (because competition from grasses is greatly reduced).  Forb populations should be especially showy the year following the later season burn.

Regarding brome, there needs to be enough fuel to carry the fire and actually set-back the grass.  Otherwise, the grass will just explode out of the blocks and dominate even stronger than before.  One advantage of a late summer fire - particularly for cool-season grasses like brome -  is that the grass tends to be drier and more combustible (may burn slow but it will burn).  However, I'd stress that any fire be 'prescribed fire' and done under a plan prepared by a qualified professional.

Bill 

>>> erobb@home.com 05/01/01 09:26AM >>>
The timing of burns has been puzzling to me, especially this year.

I have been burning to try and reduce brome competition, and manage for more flowers. We burned on Sunday, April 8 this year. The brome was about 6-8 inches, spring flowers just barely up out of the ground.

This message indicates its best to "burn as late as possible" in the spring to manage for more flowers, but by then the brome is usually too high to burn well, and the flowers that have already begun to sprout seem to be knocked back. - prairie smoke, pasque flower, monarda, columbine are the
flowers I specifically recall.  When I have burned in spring,  and the flowers are up, it seems to favor the native grasses, and it's hard to see how burning later in the spring would help this. It would seem more of the flowers would be up and damaged by the flames.

I noticed the burns at Camp Dodge just last week (April 27) - very late, it seems to me, and based on what I've seen, likely to increase the stand of prairie grasses at the expense of the flowers.
At my house, just 2 miles down the road from Camp Dodge,  prairie phlox, penstemon digitalis, pale purple coneflower in addition to those mentioned above,  were already up and about 4 inches high at that time. How can burning improve their performance when they are burned to a crisp, then have
to resprout from the base?

I have tried fall burning, but the results were not noticeable - i.e. the brome was just as thick and blooming the next year as it had been. I work with the city of Johnston, and we might try some fall burns this year, just because their schedule is so hectic in the spring that they were unable
to conduct a successful burn. I'm hoping we'll have some nice Fall weather in which to try it. They also want flowers along city trails for citizens to enjoy.

Eileen

William McGuire wrote:

> Prescribed fire is the best tool.  But, timing is everything.  A spring burn (late March through early May) will favor grasses over forbs.  A summer or fall burn will favor forbs more.  If there is some reason you can't manage a summer or fall burn then burn as late in the spring as possible.
>
> Bill
>
> >>> djdietz@jvlnet.com 04/30/01 10:47PM >>>
> I am fairly new to prairie plantings, but seem to be having good luck so far.
> I have a fourth year planting in a residential lot ( 2 acres) that I am managing
> primarily for flowers (about 25 various species). It is about 1/4
> acre with little blue, side oats grama, indian grass, and prairie drop seed for
> grasses.
>
> I burned last spring (2000) for the first time, and the grasses EXPLODED, where
> in previous years the flowers were much more dominate. Being in a yard, I would
> like to emphasize the flowers more.
>
> The question is this; how should I manage stronger for flowers? Maybe trim
> instead
> of burn ? If so, should I trim the dead grass this spring yet (its still
> 2'-5'tall).
>
> Any advice is welcome
>
> Dan Dietz
> Reedsburg WI
>
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