FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Phleum pratense | Timothy 



IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT : 
Moderately severe fires will top-kill timothy, and severe fires may
cause damage to or kill the root crown, killing the plant [4].


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT : 
NO-ENTRY


PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE : 
Fire stimulates the production of reproductive tillers in timothy.  In
Illinois, a prescribed burn in August was beneficial for rejuvenation of
timothy sods.  Seed production increased following fire, and there was
an increased success of timothy 2 to 4 years after the burn [132].

In Oregon in early November, fire increased the vegetative yield and
maximum height of timothy [19].  Following a prescribed prairie fire in
Iowa carried out after snowmelt but while the soil was still frozen,
timothy started growth 2 to 3 weeks earlier in the spring and matured
earlier on burned areas than on adjacent unburned areas [24].

Several forage species were tested for performance on recently burned
lodgepole pine sites in northeastern Washington.  After 4 years, timothy
was considered adequate in vigor and density.  On a northeastern slope,
timothy was more successful because of better soil and moisture
conditions [27].

On a game farm in Pennsylvania, 5 acres (2 ha) were burned on April 22,
1983 to determine vegetation response.  Timothy production decreased
after the spring burn.  There was no change in percent composition of
timothy between 4 and 16 months after the fire.  Early spring burning
temporarily reduced perennial grasses and increased forbs.  Grassy cover
improved by postfire year 2 [49].

Total herbaceous production of timothy following the 1983 burn [49]:

months after burn               control (%)          burn (%)
        1                          28                  3
        2                          41                 10
        3                          45                  7
        4                          55                  0
        6                          48                  6


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE : 
NO-ENTRY


FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Timothy is often used to stabilize soil against erosion and to provide
cover for wildlife in clearcut areas that have been burned [3].  In the
midwestern states, prairie fires are often prescribed and timothy seeded
to provide nesting cover for prairie chickens and waterfowl [3].
  
In Montana, timothy was aerially seeded on a lodgepole pine clearcut
that had been burned.  It was monitored for 12 years, from 1962 to 1973.
Timothy was a strong competitor in the early years postburn, but
eventual dominance by native grasses was suggested by the decline of
timothy from 3.0 percent in 1964 to 0.7 percent in 1973 [71].

  Percent vegetal cover for timothy for 12 transects, 1962-1973    
           
  1     2     3     4     5     6     7     8     9    10    11    12
 0.6   2.1   3.0   2.5   1.7   1.9   ---   1.8   ---   1.3   ---   0.7
 
In Oregon on a clearcut burned in 1969, timothy was seeded with a
mixture of other grasses and legumes at a rate of 6 pounds per acre (6.8
kg/ha).  In 1973, timothy was abundant.  By 1984, timothy declined
drastically in numbers, partially because of heavy grazing pressure
[86].

In Deadwood, South Dakota in 1959, an intense forest fire burned 4,500
acres (1,800 ha) of land.  Artificial seeding on 4,011 acres (1,604 ha)
at 11 pounds per acre (12.4 kg/ha) of a mixture containing timothy was
completed.  The mixture consisted of 3 pounds per acre (3.4 kg/ha) of
timothy, 3 pounds per acre (3.4 kg/ha) of smooth brome, 2 pounds per
acre (2.25 kg/ha) of Kentucky bluegrass, 2 pounds per acre (2.25 kg/ha)
of yellow sweet clover, and 1 pound per acre (1.125 kg/ha) of hairy
vetch.  Two sites were seeded.  Site one was on stony-loam soil at 5,400
feet (1,620 m) and site two was on a finer textured soil at 4,900 feet
(1,470 m).  Timothy established quickly and persisted in dominance on
site one.  At site two, timothy was codominant with other species [93].

In northern Alberta, timothy was used to reseed burned-over land after a
fire in 1950.  The organic matter was destroyed and the depth of ash was
1 to 3 inches (2.5-7.6 cm).  Seedings were done in the fall on 3 to 6
inches (7.6-15 cm) of snow and in April at the same depth with no snow
or frost.  Productivity was not influenced by the time of seeding.
Timothy seeds established where moisture was adequate.  Stands of
timothy declined with age [3].  

Related categories for Species: Phleum pratense | Timothy