Why is periodic prescribed burning recommended for native WSG management?
A. Fire was a natural occurrence in the evolution of these grasses. They developed not only a tolerance for fire, but a response to it that allows them to outgrow the less tolerant competition if the burn occurs at the proper time of the year, i.e., just as the WSG begin new growth. It was not until range scientists began experimenting with prescribed fire applied at different times of the year that they discovered this response. They also discovered that proper timing for growth response of native WSG also minimized or eliminated certain adverse effects of fire, i.e., soil erosion, soil moisture loss, plant crown damage, nutrient leaching, and even some of the difficulty of fire control. They found that the most effective way of controlling undesirable plants was to burn them during a low point in their carbohydrate root reserves which usually occurs after the undesirable plants have used those reserves to initiate spring growth. Q. Couldn’t mowing, discing, spraying or winter grazing
