FIRE EFFECTS AND USE
WILDLIFE SPECIES: Tympanuchus spp. | Prairie-Chickens 



DIRECT FIRE EFFECTS ON ANIMALS : 
June fires can destroy prairie-chicken nests [25].


HABITAT RELATED FIRE EFFECTS : 
For the most part, fires are beneficial to prairie-chickens because they
can increase food; reduce litter for travelways, dusting grounds, and
booming grounds; and stimulate grass growth for brooding and hiding
cover [14,19,25].

Fires do not seem to negatively affect immediate use of booming grounds.
Following an April fire on prairie-chicken booming grounds in Wisconsin,
males reestablished their territory the morning after the fire [2].

April fires in shinnery oak communities prevent acorn production during
the burn year but maintain oak as low shrubs [18].  Bluestem forage
production in these types decreased with spring fires, but sand bluestem
(Andropogon gerardii ssp. paucipilus) and switchgrass production
increased.  Annual spring burning in aspen parkland in Minnesota
resulted in increased flowering of big and little bluestem [24].

December fires in Texas encouraged Atwater's prairie-chickens to use
previously unused areas for booming grounds and nesting [4].  Birds
nested within 400 yards (366 m) of the recently burned, ungrazed plots.
Burned plots that were grazed following fire did not show a significant
increase in prairie-chicken use.  Fall burning increased grass and forb
yields more than spring burning did.  Insects also increased.

March and August fires on Illinois prairies resulted in an increase in
the prairie-chicken population [30].  More nests were found in burned
areas after the second, third, and fourth seasons following both March
and August fires.  Hens were more attracted to the vegetation after
August fires.  However, March fires are more suitable for prairie
restoration where redtop (Agrostis alba) and timothy (Phleum pratense)
grasses have invaded native grass prairies.


FIRE USE : 
Prescribed fires can stimulate growth of food and cover plants.  They
also can reduce cover in booming grounds, and possibly reduce parasites
[15,19].  Burning can be used in conjunction with mowing every 3 to 5
years to enhance prairie grasses [31].  In areas where ring-necked
pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) parasitize prairie-chicken nests, autumn
grass fires can reduce pheasant nest cover.

No more than one half of all nesting cover within 1 mile of a booming
ground should be burned in any single year because prairie-chickens
usually nest within this range [30].  Burning in late September or early
October can create these display grounds in autumn and spring.  Fire
lanes can provide dusting sites, travel lanes, and the desired edge for
nesting [30].

In shinnery oak communities, fire can be used to reduce oak and
stimulate growth of understory grasses [7].  However, some grasses may
not recover quickly enough to provide alternative cover in place of
bluestem grasses, which tend to decrease in these communities following
fire.

Fires at 3- to 5-year intervals are recommended on Minnesota prairies to
stimulate grass growth for prairie-chickens [24].  More frequent fires
are recommended where heavy shrub cover needs to be reduced.  Optimum
cover has been determined at 15 percent brush to 85 percent grassland.


REFERENCES : 
NO-ENTRY

Related categories for Wildlife Species: Tympanuchus spp. | Prairie-Chickens