Exotic cool-season grasses such as Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis) are invasive in northern tallgrass prairie. Prescribed fire is a potential tool for management of these invasive cool-season grasses. Understanding of different grass species' response to fire is important for proper implementation of prescribed fire as a management technique in rangelands. We designed an experiment to examine basic growth responses to fire among common northern tallgrass prairie grass species under controlled greenhouse conditions. The experiment was conducted at the North Dakota State University Agricultural Experiment Station Research Greenhouse in Fargo, North Dakota. Kentucky bluegrass was tested along with four native species including Pascopyrum smithii, Nassella viridula, Bouteloua gracilis, and Schizachyrium scoparium. All plants were seeded in vermiculite and seedlings transplanted into pots containing a 3:1 regional soil to sand mix. Plants were burned using six different fuel loads (2,500 kg/ha, 3,000 kg/ha, 3,500 kg/ha, 4,000 kg/ha, 4,500 kg/ha, 5,000 kg/ha). Timothy hay was used as a reliably consistent fuel source. Fire treatments were applied using a metal burn table. A clipping treatment was also included to simulate grazing as well as a non-treated check. All treatments were applied 24 weeks after germination. Plant survival and time required for regrowth were observed. Once survival was established plant height was recorded 4, 7, 14, and 28 days after treatment. Root and shoot biomass were measured 28 days after treatment. Results provided valuable information on these species' basic response to fire and will serve as a comparison to field experiments.
Oral presentation and poster titles, abstracts, and authors from the Society for Range Management (SRM) Annual Meetings and Tradeshows, from 2013 forward.