M ’ O l . O ( ; Y 0 1 ; FIICI.: IS GRASSLANDS
251
y w u , trntl trot ~ I t ~ i i ~ i p i r i ~
tm:k to t tic prc:-t)urn lwrl until the tenth year
( f i i i g l ~ w .
1 $+57). ‘!’(I t tic: w - w t in 1,ouiniana Camptwll (1946) reported
only a nligtit iircwiinr: in grasn prcitluc.tivit,y following fire in the pine
fitrtksts, but J)IIVILLI ( I 962) fouiid t t substantial quantity increase with
productivit’y not dropping hick to normal until the fifth post-burn
season. Still fart.her west, on the Constill Plain in Texas fire was observed
to induce a fivefold inoreitsc in dry mutter the first post-burn season,
declining to only a two-fold increase on the t.hird season (Lay, 1956).
In central lllii~ois productivity of stands of Andropqon gercrrtli and
Sorgliastr?i?ti nutrrns was inore tlian doubled the first post-burn summer,
with some increase still evident the second, but not’ the third (Hadley
i l l i d Eiiwkliefer, 1963). It was concluded that annual burning is desirable
licre to niiiintiiiii mnximiim production. Essent,ially identical results
were.obt.ained and conclusions drawn by Ehrenreich (1959) who studied
t,he results of burning on approximately 1 March in Iowa, and by
Aikman (1955) who obtained a 70y0 increase in productivity in consequence of a 1‘3 February burn in the fiame state. Ehrenreich and
Aikman (1963) found that greater production on burns early in the first
post-burn season was balanced by greater production on unburned areas
late in the season, so that annual productivity WBB essentially equal.
Annual burning of Andropogon swprius-A. gerardi grassland in
Missouri was found t’o increase product,ivity by 11 1 yo, this soon creating
a n increase of litter ithove normal by 37% (Kucera and Ehrenreich,
1962). Another investigator in the same area found that alteriiate year
burning increased productivit,y by only 40% (Koelling, 1065). Still in
the Andropqon gi*nsdand, but to the west in the drier region of central
Kansa.s, Hcnsel (1923b) found that annual burning resulted in a reduction of total yield. Aldous (1934, 1935) reported this reduction as
amounting to 14% with spring (early May) burning, and 65% with
winter (early December) burning. Recovery here is not complete by
the end of the second post-burn season (Hopkins et UE., 1948). Considerable year-to-year vmiation in production following fire was reported for central Kansas by McMurphy and Anderson (1963) -,vim
recorded u rduction on t.heir burned plots in 16 out of 26 years of
annual hrning. These reductions were correlated with years of deficient
precipit&on, which situation wils aggravated by the tendelicy of soils
on the 1)urncd nrcas to dry out rapidly. Eight years of annual burning
of “native grass’’ nca.r Guthric, Oklahoma, which region J1,r,bly had
vegetation comparable with the foregoing, reduced p r o c h t .D by 53%
(Elwell et nl., l!Hl), but Gay and Uwyer (196i) noted no change when
Andropyon grassland in the same part of Oklahoma was burned
but once,
In, western TCnnsas where the steppe is more arid and Boutelowr
251
y w u , trntl trot ~ I t ~ i i ~ i p i r i ~
tm:k to t tic prc:-t)urn lwrl until the tenth year
( f i i i g l ~ w .
1 $+57). ‘!’(I t tic: w - w t in 1,ouiniana Camptwll (1946) reported
only a nligtit iircwiinr: in grasn prcitluc.tivit,y following fire in the pine
fitrtksts, but J)IIVILLI ( I 962) fouiid t t substantial quantity increase with
productivit’y not dropping hick to normal until the fifth post-burn
season. Still fart.her west, on the Constill Plain in Texas fire was observed
to induce a fivefold inoreitsc in dry mutter the first post-burn season,
declining to only a two-fold increase on the t.hird season (Lay, 1956).
In central lllii~ois productivity of stands of Andropqon gercrrtli and
Sorgliastr?i?ti nutrrns was inore tlian doubled the first post-burn summer,
with some increase still evident the second, but not’ the third (Hadley
i l l i d Eiiwkliefer, 1963). It was concluded that annual burning is desirable
licre to niiiintiiiii mnximiim production. Essent,ially identical results
were.obt.ained and conclusions drawn by Ehrenreich (1959) who studied
t,he results of burning on approximately 1 March in Iowa, and by
Aikman (1955) who obtained a 70y0 increase in productivity in consequence of a 1‘3 February burn in the fiame state. Ehrenreich and
Aikman (1963) found that greater production on burns early in the first
post-burn season was balanced by greater production on unburned areas
late in the season, so that annual productivity WBB essentially equal.
Annual burning of Andropogon swprius-A. gerardi grassland in
Missouri was found t’o increase product,ivity by 11 1 yo, this soon creating
a n increase of litter ithove normal by 37% (Kucera and Ehrenreich,
1962). Another investigator in the same area found that alteriiate year
burning increased productivit,y by only 40% (Koelling, 1065). Still in
the Andropqon gi*nsdand, but to the west in the drier region of central
Kansa.s, Hcnsel (1923b) found that annual burning resulted in a reduction of total yield. Aldous (1934, 1935) reported this reduction as
amounting to 14% with spring (early May) burning, and 65% with
winter (early December) burning. Recovery here is not complete by
the end of the second post-burn season (Hopkins et UE., 1948). Considerable year-to-year vmiation in production following fire was reported for central Kansas by McMurphy and Anderson (1963) -,vim
recorded u rduction on t.heir burned plots in 16 out of 26 years of
annual hrning. These reductions were correlated with years of deficient
precipit&on, which situation wils aggravated by the tendelicy of soils
on the 1)urncd nrcas to dry out rapidly. Eight years of annual burning
of “native grass’’ nca.r Guthric, Oklahoma, which region J1,r,bly had
vegetation comparable with the foregoing, reduced p r o c h t .D by 53%
(Elwell et nl., l!Hl), but Gay and Uwyer (196i) noted no change when
Andropyon grassland in the same part of Oklahoma was burned
but once,
In, western TCnnsas where the steppe is more arid and Boutelowr