FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Andropogon gerardii var. paucipilus | Sand Bluestem 



IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT : 
NO-ENTRY


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT : 
NO-ENTRY


PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE : 
Sand bluestem's response to fire is not well documented. Warm-season
grasses generally are more harmed by fires that occur during active
growth stages than by those that occur during periods of dormancy [18].
Results from a study comparing grass composition of areas in Nebraska
burned in May and June with that of adjacent unburned areas showed that
sand bluestem cover values decreased by about 2 percent [9].  In this
study, sand bluestem plants were probably in an early growth stage when
burned, which may account for the slight decrease in cover.  In this
same area of Nebraska, an October fire caused by lightning strikes
resulted in no change in sand bluestem phytomass 1 year later [39].

Annual burning in April in a shinnery oak (Quercus havardi) community in
Oklahoma resulted in increased forage production of sand bluestem [64].
Burning in April in Kansas caused an increase in the number of
inflorescences of sand bluestem [15].


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE : 
NO-ENTRY


FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Fire has the potential to remove the protective vegetation in sandhills,
thereby increasing the frequency of blowout formation [39].  If
prescribed fires are planned in areas with unstable sandhills, they
should be conducted just before the warm-season grasses present on the
site break dormancy.  This will leave the soil unprotected for the least
amount of time.

Related categories for Species: Andropogon gerardii var. paucipilus | Sand Bluestem