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Re: Summer-Fall Burning ???

Dan,
    In Missouri, following much research into the seasonal timing of burns, 
it was noticed that summer and fall burns promoted forb production and 
flowering while spring and summer burning tended to promote warm season grass 
production....the very thing that you discovered after your spring burn. By 
burning (in Missouri) from late August to October (late summer to early fall) 
you should notice much more forb production the following year as well as 
more flowering. Since you are farther north, you should probably adjust your 
burn dates from say mid-August to late September perhaps to account for the 
generally shorter season. Much of this information is also based on the 
historic occurrence of lightning caused fires. 
    All burning needs to be done with a little common sense. Don't burn 
everything. Burning is easier if humidities are lower, but the fire is also 
hotter in those situations. Burn maybe only a third or so of the total area 
in any given year, always leave a refuge for sensitive species. In the past, 
fires may not have needed to be so frequent to control woody vegetation, 
since in many cases there wasn't any there to invade in the first place in 
the absence of fire. The necessity for more frequent burning now is due to 
the close proximity of invasive woody species to most prairie areas. More 
frequent fires can be harmful to species such as Regal Fritillaries which may 
need the longer periods between burns to maintain their numbers. They 
overwinter as first instar larvae which can't outrun a fire or fly away, 
hence the need for refuge areas. 
    These are just a few thoughts. Hope they help.
Doug LeDoux
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