In Arizona, Sumrall et al. tested the hypothesis that canopy removal by fire, rather than an initial heat treatment, is responsible for much higher seedling recruitment of Eragrostis lehmanniana (Lehmann lovegrass) on burned than unburned areas. Canopy removal by burning or clipping greatly increased seedling emergence of E. lehmanniana during summer rains. Results also shows increased seedbank germinability immediately after an October burn. High seedling emergence after canopy removal was not the result of greater seedbed water availability but probably the result of a greater range in diurnal soil temperatures and increases in red light reaching the seedbed, both of which stimulate germination. The ability of E. lehmanniana to persist after fire indicates that prescribed burning could be used to control associated woody plants and improve forage palatability of E. lehmanniana-dominated grasslands.
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