Pfeiffer and Hartnett measured the response of annually burned and unburned little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) plants to grazing to determine how pasture management combining fire and grazing affected these plants in tallgrass prairie. Fire increased the number of little bluestem plants, however, these plants were also more accessible to and more utilized by bison than little bluestem plants in unburned pastures. Grazing reduced the density, basal area, number of reproductive tillers, and tiller biomass of little bluestem plants in both burned and unburned pastures, but the effects of grazing were much more pronounced in burned pastures as little bluestem plants received more use. The authors concluded that the benefits of burning little bluestem plants are minimized when burning is combined with grazing and therefore they do not suggest management that includes both grazing and annual burning in tallgrass prairies containing little bluestem plants if little bluestem composition is to be maintained.
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