FIRE EFFECTS AND USE
WILDLIFE SPECIES: Chen caerulescens | Snow Goose 



DIRECT FIRE EFFECTS ON ANIMALS : 
NO-ENTRY


HABITAT RELATED FIRE EFFECTS : 
Snow geese are attracted to freshly burned ground, most likely because
once the aboveground vegetation is removed, tubers and roots are easy
foraging [18].  More than 20,000 geese fed for several days on a burned
area (19,760 ac [8,000 ha]) in Louisiana [15].  Geese will flock to
areas in Lousiana that are prescribed burned for cattle forage
enhancement to feed on the new vegetation [17].  Geese can destroy a
marsh following burning if they feed on the remaining rootstock and none
is left to reproduce [11].  For more complete information about fire's
effects on specific marsh plants refer to this database under Scirpus,
Phragmites, Typha, Distichlis, Carex, and Eleocharis.


FIRE USE : 
Fire can be used to reduce aboveground vegetation to allow easier access
to tubers and roots and also allow geese to spot predators [15].
Burning in marshy wildlife refuges in the southeastern states is common
practice for promoting growth of food and cover plants.  Here, because
of the long, wet growing season, rank vegetation can build up quickly,
reducing food quality [9].  Louisiana marshes are typically burned every
2 years to promote the growth of three-square bulrush, millet, and giant
foxtail.  Burning can be used in combination with disking or deep
flooding [9].  Late winter burns can create green vegetation in early
spring when geese need to build up energy stores for their migration
north.  In Louisiana marshes where cordgrass is dominant and
three-square bulrush is desired for food, burning during the dry season
(August to October) every year for 3 to 4 years is necessary for
three-square to take over [18].  To maintain a constant growth of this
desirable species, burning any time between mid-October and the first of
January with a 0 to 2-inch (5 cm) water level is recommended [18].


REFERENCES : 
NO-ENTRY

Related categories for Wildlife Species: Chen caerulescens | Snow Goose