FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Calamovilfa longifolia | Prairie Sandreed 



IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT : 
Fire kills aboveground parts of prairie sandreed, but the rhizomes
probably survive most fires.


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT : 
NO-ENTRY


PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE : 
Prairie sandreed starts growth earlier in the spring following a fire.
After an October lightning fire in Nebraska, prairie sandreed's growth
rate increased the following spring, but the rate slowed so that by
August it was equal to that of the unburned area [33]. 

The effect of fire on frequency of prairie sandreed appears variable.
After spring fires, some researchers have found it to increase in
frequency, while others have found it to decrease in frequency.  In
Alberta, prairie sandreed increased greatly in canopy cover and
frequency following 25 years of annual early spring burning (burning
conducted soon after snowmelt) [3].  Here percentage seedhead presence
was much higher on burned versus unburned areas.  Whether reproduction
by seeds increased is not known, but fire removed litter buildup and
exposed mineral soil, creating a more faborable seedbed.  Burning also
reduced prairie sandreed's blade length [3].  Two and one-half months
after a spring burn in western North Dakota, prairie sandreed was
slightly reduced in frequency compared with the unburned plots [15].
Four years after an August 14 fire in this same area, frequency of
pairie sandreed was stilly reduced significantly.  However, after a
spring fire in eastern North Dakota, frequency of prairie sandreed was
increased by more than 100 percent [29].  After a spring wildfire in
Nebraska, prairie sandreed increased by 11 percent on south-facing
slopes but decreased by 8 percent on hilltops and north-facing slopes
[7]; the decrease was attributed to competition from associated species.


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE : 
NO-ENTRY


FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Summer or fall burning is harmful to prairie sandreed, causing a
decrease in frequency and phytomass.  The response to spring burning is
less clear.  Spring burning appears to be beneficial or only slightly
detrimental.  Prairie sandreed occurs in both tallgrass and mixed-grass
prairie regions.  In the tallgrass prairie, fire seems to favor the tall
warm-season grasses, and prairie sandreed probably benefits from spring
burning [7,29].  In the mixed-grass prairie, prairie sandreed may or may
not benefit from spring burning [3,15]. 

Fire may also affect plant-water relationships of prairie sandreed.
Since prairie sandreed is usually found on sandy soil, virtually all the
water percolates into the soil regardless of litter buildup.  The
removal of litter due to fire may lead to increased evapotranspiration
rates, leading to increased water stress [33].

Related categories for Species: Calamovilfa longifolia | Prairie Sandreed