FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Spartina patens | Saltmeadow Cordgrass 



IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT : 
The immediate effect of fire on saltmeadow cordgrass is removal of
aboveground vegetation.


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT : 
NO-ENTRY


PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE : 
Saltmarsh cordgrass will survive a cover burn [See Fire Management], but
the rhizomes of some plants will be destroyed by a root burn occurring
with a heavy accumulation of vegetation.  Surviving rhizomes will not
resprout for 2 or more weeks following a root burn [13].  Saltmarsh
cordgrass is also temporarily disadvantaged by less intense fires.
Faster growing rushes (Scirpus spp.) overtake cordgrass in the first few
years following a fire [18,27].


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE : 
Culm regrowth following fire is generally slow, requiring 8 weeks to
reach preburn density.  Air temperatures below 41 degrees Fahrenheit (5
deg C) greatly reduced culm production of saltmarsh cordgrass.
Photoperiod also affected culm development, with regrowth rate after
December 21 more than twice the rate prior to December 21 [6].

Following a July fire in Georgia saltmeadow cordgrass reached 70 to 100
percent cover 14 months after the burn and up to 140 percent cover by 26
months postburn.  The fire had burned off all the soil organic matter
leaving only bare sand and graminoid clumps [8].


FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Three classes of marsh fires are generally recognized:  (1) Cover burns
are light burns designed to remove vegetation debris.  They are
undertaken only when sufficient water is present to prevent damage to
plant root systems.  Prescribed cover burns are usually conducted from
October 15 to March 1.  (2) Root burns are hot fires which develop in a
relatively dry marsh.  These fires alter the composition of the
vegetation.  (3) Peat burns, the most drastic type of marsh fire, burn
holes in the marsh floor, providing additional water areas.  Several
years accumulation of vegetation, a fairly deep peat layer, and drought
conditions which have dried out the peat are required to produce a peat
burn [17].  Cover burns are most often used for management since the
other two types are known to be destructive to the marsh habitat [12].

Related categories for Species: Spartina patens | Saltmeadow Cordgrass