Using Prescribed Fire in Dry Prairies

Prescribed fire in is an important management tool for the restoration and maintenance of dry prairies.  Due to landscape fragmentation and fire suppression, the extent and condition of dry prairie has been altered considerably making this community type a priority for restoration.  Dry prairie requires fire every 1-4 years to maintain coverage of dry prairie flora.  Within this burn frequency, land managers manipulate fire effects by deciding season of burn (growing vs. dormant season burns).  For instance, winter burns are often wetter and will not burn as completely or as hotly as summer burns.  This will lead to a patchier condition in dry prairie, and will also favor many shrub species because of their ability to resprout.  Alternatively, summer burns favor more herbaceous species, and reduce the cover of woody stems in an area. 

Prescribed burning can be used to maintain habitat for endangered animal species in dry prairies.  Most of the faunal research conducted in dry prairie ecosystems has concentrated on the Florida grasshopper sparrow.  This is a federally endangered species that is considered endemic to the dry prairies of Florida.  Higher numbers of the Florida grasshopper sparrows were found in recently burned sites and it is recommended that a burning frequency of <3 years be used to maintain higher populations of this bird (Shriver and Vickery 2001). 

Using Prescribed Fire and Mechanical Treatments for Restoration

In some cases where fire has been suppressed from the ecosystem, additional methods are needed for restoration (Huffman and Blanchard 1991).  Roller chopping in combination with prescribed burning is a method proven to be effective in reducing the woody component of dry prairies (Watts 2002). This method cuts the roots of the woody shrubs so that they do not sprout back as quickly when the prairie is burned.  Roller chopping also has an effect on the herbaceous species in dry prairie.  Pine lily (Lilium catesbaei Walt.), a widely distributed but uncommon species in dry prairie decreases in number with fire suppression.  In a study conducted in Myakka State Park, greater numbers of pine lily were found in plots with roller chopping treatment and fewest found in burn only treatments (Huffman and Werner 2000).