Browse by Park: WICA - Non-native prairie

Prescribed fire has been used at Wind Cave National Park in an attempt to reduce cover of non-native grasses and increase cover of native forbs, grasses, and sedges. There are 5 plots in the Kentucky bluegrass monitoring type at Wind Cave. These plots were burned as part of three different burn units over a 5 year period.

The figure below displays cover of native and non-native lifeforms. Pre-burn sampling occurred 1 growing season before the prescribed fire, with year 1, year 2, and year 5 the number of growing seasons following the burn. Five growing seasons following the prescribed fire, cover of native grasses and sedges increased by 17% and 59% respectively while cover of non-native grasses decreased by 51%. Native forbs decreased by 51%.

Below are mean cover measurements of the seven most common species found on the seven plots. Five seasons following the prescribed fire, Kentucky bluegrass and Scurf pea cover had decreased 46% and 72% respectively below pre-burn levels while western wheatgrass increased by 86%. Sedges and grama grass had the largest relative post-burn cover increases at 250% and 263% respectively.

 
Updated: April 7, 2009 Disclaimer
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