FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Typha latifolia | Common Cattail 



IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT : 
The effects of fire on common cattail vary with water depth and soil
moisture.  On flooded sites and on sites with exposed but saturated
soils, fire consumes most or all of the aboveground biomass, but
underground rhizomes remain undamaged and plants survive [11,41].  When
soils become dry because of drought or marshland drainage, fires can
burn deep into the organic horizons, consuming the rhizomes and killing
the plant [43].


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT : 
NO-ENTRY


PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE : 
Common cattail quickly sprouts from surviving rhizomes following fires
that remove the top-growth.  If burned when plants are dormant, new
top-growth is initiated in the spring, and annual productivity is not
lowered [40,41].  Even following summer fires, plants quickly initiate
new growth from surviving underground rhizomes and grow until killed by
fall frosts.  After an early September fire in Utah, common cattail grew
to 1.3 feet (0.4 m) in height before winter dormancy [41].

Hybrid cattail (T. X glauca) stands in New Brunswick, Canada, were
burned in spring, summer, or fall in both flooded and drained marshes.
Summer burning on drained sites resulted in the greatest reductions in
cover, density, and height 3 years after burning.  Three years after
burning on flooded marsh, hybrid cattail increased in cover but showed
little or no change in cover, stem density, or height.  Changes in these
characteristics 3 years after burning are presented below [24]:

                  control     spring      summer     autumn
                              burned      burned     burned
cover (%)
 drained marsh       56         54          36         48
 flooded marsh       41         44          55         46 

stem density/m2
 drained marsh       15         14           9         12
 flooded marsh       10         10          12         10

plant height (cm)
 drained marsh      133        126         111        130
 flooded marsh      155        165         158        156


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE : 
NO-ENTRY


FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Prescribed burning in late fall, winter, or early spring when plant tops
are dry opens up common cattail stands by removing years of accumulated
litter.  In northern latitudes, winter burning has advantages in that
fires can be better directed over ice than open water, as the ice allows
for faster movement of men and equipment.  Additionally, winter fires
are easier to control because they are of lower intensity than fires
during warmer months [1].  Annual burning is difficult because more than
1 year of litter is needed to carry fire in cattail stands [1,3].

On marshes where water levels can be controlled, drawdown followed by
burning and rapid reflooding kills common cattail if regrowth is kept
completely submerged.  Following marsh drawdown and burning in Utah,
common cattail quickly resprouted and covered areas that were reflooded
with up to 8 inches (20 cm) of water.  No plants survived, however, on
areas flooded with 8 to 18 inches (20-46 cm) of water [32].  When winter
burning over ice in southwestern Ontario, Ball [1] found that
slow-moving backfires left the shortest cattail stubble which
subsequently needed the least amount of water level increase to submerge
the stalks.  Furthermore, snow buildup over ice can protect the stalks
from burning, resulting in tall stubble that is difficult to submerge
the following spring.  Thus, when using winter burning in conjunction
with water level manipulation to control cattail, it is best to burn
over ice in early winter before snow accumulation or in early spring
after snow melt.

In Utah, common cattail was controlled with a combination of burning and
cutting.  Stands were first cut, then the cut material burned.  This
made it easier to flood the cut stems, and allowed a second cutting, if
needed, to be made very close to the ground [32].

In the Southern High Plains region of Texas, winter burning did not
improve common cattail nutritive quality [40].  

Related categories for Species: Typha latifolia | Common Cattail