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Author: Reemts, Charlotte
Email: creemts@tnc.org
Phone: 2544936041
Organization: The Nature Conservancy
Address:
318 Congress Ave.,
Austin,
TX,
78664
Abstract Title: LONG-TERM CONTROL OF KING RANCH BLUESTEM WITH LATE-SUMMER FIRE Charlotte Reemts*, The Nature Conservancy, and Carla Picinich, Natural Resources Management Branch, Fort Hood Garrison, Department of the Army
Abstract Text: King Ranch bluestem is a non-native, invasive, C4 grass that dominates many grasslands in the southern Great Plains. It thrives on disturbance, including grazing, mowing, and winter prescribed fire. In September 2006, we burned a long-undisturbed grassland dominated by King Ranch bluestem (74% frequency) on the Fort Hood Military Reservation. After the fire, King Ranch bluestem frequency was greatly reduced for three growing seasons (14% frequency in 2009). However, native grasses did not become dominant in the burned areas (only 29% frequency), which were dominated instead by early-successional forbs. In 2018 we revisited the site, which has received no additional management. King Ranch bluestem continued to be uncommon in burned areas, but was slowly recolonizing the burned sites from unburned control plots. Native grass abundance appeared somewhat higher than in 2009 (analyses are in progress), but the area is still largely dominated by forbs. We conclude that late-summer fire can successfully control King Ranch bluestem, but that additional management is needed to restore diverse native grasslands.
Conference
Year: TIPPC_2018
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
Presenter Type (Student or Regular): Regular
Session: 3. Control and Management
Submission Date: 2018-09-20
