• IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT
• DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT
• PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE
• DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE
• FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS

IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT:

Curlymesquite is often top-killed by fire but usually survives [5,55].

DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT:

Stoloniferous grasses like curlymesquite generally are less affected by fire than bunchgrasses, due to the smaller amounts of dead, dry material remaining on the plant. Fires tend to burn more quickly over the grass and not penetrate into growing points [5].

PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE:

In the 2nd year following spring prescribed burns in a Madrean evergreen woodland in Arizona, abundance of curlymesquite was significantly (p<0.05) greater on the burned than on the unburned sites [5].

Following a March burn in western Texas in a honey mesquite/tobosa-sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula)-buffalo grass (Buchloe dactyloides)-threeawn community, curlymesquite grass production increased 28% in the 1st growing season after fire [55].

DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE:

No entry

FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS:

Because curlymesquite does not regenerate reliably by seed, spring burning under cool conditions that preserve growing points causes less mortality than fall burning. Forage production increases moderately following burning [5,55].

Related categories for SPECIES: Hilaria belangeri | Curlymesquite