Management and Community Restoration

Periodic fires in grasslands, savannas, and encroached woodlands are very important and should not be overlooked or underestimated as management tools. Without fire, which was a natural part of the grassland ecosystems (Fig. 8.1), the woody plants are favored rather than the grasses (Van Auken 2009). An excellent visual example of the result of using fire to control the encroachment of woody species in tall grass prairie is from the Konza prairie in Kansas (Fig. 8.2). In the center of the photograph is a firebreak. To the left of the firebreak, the prairie was burned infrequently (once every 10 years). The encroachment of a variety of woody plants is easily seen. To the right of the firebreak, the prairie was burned frequently (once every 2 years). The lack of woody plants is obvious (this figure is modified from Van Auken (2009) and was taken by D. C. McKinley). However, burning discontinuous arid and semiarid shrublands or former grasslands today is difficult because of the patchy nature of the communities and the limited amount of light, fluffy fuel (Schlesinger et al. 1996; Jurena and Van Auken 1998).