Prescribed fire has been considered to control velvet mesquite (Prosopis velutina) invasion in southwest rangelands, however, the success of fire for controlling mesquite plants may be related to grassland species composition and grazing factors that influence fire characteristics. In this study, authors determined that the heat, intensity, and scorching of a fire are reduced by grazing, possibly because of reduced fuel loads, and increased when invasive lovegrass (Eragrostis sp.) species are dominant compared to native grasses. More large trees were able to survive, grow, and reproduce after the less intense fire that burned in grazed pastures while fewer large trees survived and more sprouting occurred after the intense fires that burned on invasive grass-dominated range. In a long-term perspective, additional research is needed to determine whether repeated fires could be used to limit the germination and establishment of new mesquite, shifting the age structure of invaded grasslands and minimizing additional woodland thickening.
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