English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Zendy Plus

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Zendy Tools

Zendy Open

Habitat and plant species parameters were compared among untreated, chained, chained/burned, burned/chained, and bumed/chained/reburned treatments on redberry juniper-mixed grass rangeland. Chaining followed by burning with a standardized fire plan in mid-March drastically decreased shrub and debris cover, while increasing percentage bare ground. Perennial grass yields were maintained or increased compared to previously chained or untreated areas following burning in a year of abovenormal rainfall. Burning in a “dry” year reduced grass yields by 50% of that on areas chained only, but yields were only slightly less than on untreated areas. Grass species density was reduced for 2 growing seasons following burning. Burning greatly reduced annual forbs from March through June of a moist spring. Total forb densities on burned areas were generally similar to, or higher than, those on unburned treatments by July because of extended growth of perennial forbs. March burns appeared to have the most severe impact on the least desirable shrub (redberry juniper), grass (threeawn), and forb (common broomweed) species. Redberryjuniper (Juniperuspinchotii)-mixed grass habitatsare most widely developed on Rough Breaks and Shallow range sites along the High Plains escarpment and adjacent Rolling Plains of west Texas. Primary resource values of these areas are associated with domestic livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. Redberry juniper stands often become so dense that livestock handling is difficult. Perennial grass production in untreated stands may be less than half that followingjunipercontrol(Robinson and Cross 1970, Graves 1971). Understory shrubs and herbs generally are suppressed with increasing juniper cover on western rangelands (Clary 1974, Barney and Frischknect 1974, Tauschand Tueller 1979). However, unlike other western junipers (except alligator juniper [J. deppeana]) redberry juniper is a strong sprouter (Vines 1960). Sprouts develop from meristematic tissue located at the stem base (Smith et al. 1975). Therefore, development of redberry juniper-mixed grass habitats following disturbance is different from juniper stands that establish from seedlings only. Mechanical control has been essentially the only technique for managing redberry juniper in Texas (Bell and Dyksterhuis 1943, Wolff 1950). Rootplowing is effective, but expensive relative to site productivity. Chaining lowers redberryjuniper canopies, but residual stems, sprouts, and debris continually build up. Soil-applied picloram at 2.24 kg/ ha has resulted in 70% mortality of redberry juniper (Robinson and Cross 1970, Scifres 1972, Schuster 1976). Use of fire in the management of redberry juniper-mixed grass habitats may provide an economical and ecologically sound alternative to present methods. The objectives of this study were to define the species and habitat changes which can be expected following spring burning of redberry juniper-mixed grass habitats. The authors are research assistant and chairman, Department of Range and Wildlife Management, Texas Tech University, Lubbock 79409. A.A. Steuter’s present address. is The Nature Conservancv. Samuel Ordwav. Jr.. Memorial Prairie. Star Route i, Leola, South Dakota 574% ,. This study is a contribution of the College of Agricultural Science!, Texas Tech University, No. 5-9-302. We thank Bill Masterson who let us conduct this study on his ranch. Manuscript received August 25, 1982. JOURNAL OF RANGE MANAGEMENT 36(2), March 1983 Study Area and Methods Study areas were on the Masterson JY Ranch in northeastern King County, Texas. The ranch lies within the Rolling Plains resource area (Gould 1969) at an elevation of 550 m. King County has a subtropical climate with dry winters and hot, humid summers. Average annual precipitation is 59 cm. Peak precipitation months are May and June. Topography ranges from nearly level to extremely steep. Study sites were restricted to the rocky, moderately sloping, well-drained, loamy soils of the Shallow range sites. These areas are typically intermediate between the Rough Breaks and Deep Hardland range sites. The Talpa series (loamy, mixed, thermic, lithic Calciustoll) was the major soil series on study sites. Study areas established in 1980 were on steeper slopes and had a higher proportion of Cottonwood soils than the plots established in 1979. Cottonwood soils contain more gypsum, are less productive, and responded differently than the Talpa soils treated in 1979. Redberry juniper is the dominant woody species on the area. Associated shrubs include skunkbush (Rhus aromatica), littleleaf sumac (R. mkrophylla), algerita (Berberis trtfoliolata), lotebush (Ziziphus obtusifolia), catclaw acacia (Acacia greggii), feather dalea (Dalea formosa), honey mesquite (Prosopisglandulosa var. glandulosa), catclaw mimosa (Mimosa biuncifera) and elbowbush (Forestiera pubescens). Major grasses were sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula), perennial threeawn (Aristida wrightii, A. purpurea, A. longiseta), little bluestem (Schizuchyrium scoparium), silver bluestem (Bothriochloa saccharoides), tall dropseed (Sporobolus asper var. asper), rough tridens (Tridens muticus), hairy grama (Bouteloua hirsuta), buffalograss (Buchloe dactyloides), hairy tridens (Erioneuron pilosum), and fall witchgrass (Lepto-

Spring Burning Effects on Redberry Juniper-Mixed Grass Habitats