FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Spartina alterniflora | Smooth Cordgrass 



IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT : 
Fires remove all aboveground vegetation.  Severe fires may also kill
rhizomes.


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT : 
NO-ENTRY


PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE : 
Smooth cordgrass sprouts from the rhizomes following light to moderate
fires [9].  Oil-covered plants burned following an oil-spill did not
survive, indicating that severe fires kill smooth cordgrass rhizomes
[13].


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE : 
NO-ENTRY


FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Marsh burns falls into three fairly distinct types, depending on the
condition of the marsh at the time of burning.  This classification has
only been tested on the Gulf Coast, and should be experimentally tested
in other parts of the country before using [16].

    (1)  Cover burn - This is the most valuable and widely used
         method of marsh burning.  The marsh is burned when there are
         from 3 to 5 inches (7.6 to 12.7 cm) of standing water present.
         Dense vegetative cover will be removed allowing birds easier
         access to food and facilitating muskrat trapping.
        
(2 & 3)  Root burn and deep peat burn - Both burns occur without
         standing water and are distinguished by the depth to
         which the water table has dropped prior to the burn.  These
         burns may initially be destructive to wildlife, but wildlife
         eventually benefit by habitat improvement.

Late summer and early fall burning controls greenhead flies by
destroying many of their eggs, but these fires may be detrimental to
other wildlife species [26].

Related categories for Species: Spartina alterniflora | Smooth Cordgrass