FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Carex filifolia | Threadleaf Sedge 



IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT : 
Threadleaf sedge has been alternately reported as severely damaged or
minimally damaged by fire.  Degree of damage depends in part on season
and intensity of the fire, and postburn precipitation.  Of several
publications listing threadleaf sedge as severely damaged by fire, only
one was a report of an actual prescribed burn [17,20,23,35].  The fire
was described as a "hot, clean burn" [17].



DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT : 
NO-ENTRY


PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE : 
Threadleaf sedge recovers vegetatively, with surviving portions of the
plants sending up new growth.  Establishment occurs readily at any time
following fire, with no adverse effects from competition with surviving
plants of the same or other species.  Reproductive maturity is usually
not reached until the second year following the burn [30].  Postfire
seed production is often prolific, possibly due to increased nutrients
and available soil moisture [1].  An upland site with below average
productivity took 1 to 3 years longer to recover following fire than
more productive sites did [30].


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE : 
Low postburn precipitation may delay full recovery until postfire year 2
or 3 or longer, depending on the severity of the burn [30].  In South
Dakota, productivity was increased by burning in April and October when
precipitation was above average but was reduced when postburn
precipitation was low [30].  Threadleaf sedge which was burned by a
low-severity fire and which received adequate precipitation after the
burn recovered relatively quickly (2 to 4 years after the fire).
However, severe burns may cause more lasting effects, requiring 12 to 15
years for the plant community to recover [1].  Season of burn may also
affect postfire response.  In Montana threadleaf sedge was relatively
unaffected by spring burning but reduced by fall burning [22].  However,
in western North Dakota there was no reduction 4 years after a late
summer burn, 3 years after a fall burn, or 3 months after a spring burn
[8].  Therefore, if postfire precipitation is adequate, it appears that
light- to moderate-severity fires (particularly spring fires) often
cause only minimal damage to threadleaf sedge.


FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Prescribed burning to reduce sagebrush often involves plant communities
with abundant threadleaf sedge.  After burning, careful grazing
management should be implemented to ensure full recovery of the plants
[20].  To maintain a good stand, plants should not be burned during
periods of drought, and burn severity should be light to moderate [2].
If late summer grazing is desired, burning threadleaf sedge in the fall
or spring may allow leaves to remain on the plants longer than they
would on unburned plants [32].  This provides forage later in the
season.

  

Related categories for Species: Carex filifolia | Threadleaf Sedge