Effects of fire and grazing on Coastal Prairie rangeland and Attwater's prairie chicken habitat

Abstract

Prescribed burning and systematic grazing management offer strong possibilities for manipulating rangeland vegetation for both wild life and livestock production in the Texas Coastal Prairie. Long-term, total protection of rangeland from fire and grazing can result in low quality prairie chicken habitat. Prescribed burning in such areas has resulted in increased prairie chicken activity, involving feeding, loafing, roosting, booming, and nesting. Prairie chicken responses to burning treatments are believed to be related to changes in vegetation stature, density, and cover; reduction of mulch accumulations; and increased availability of potential food supplies. Desirable prairie chicken habitat also can be maintained through vegetation manipulation with domestic livestock, provided that frequency and intensity of grazing are closely controlled. Prescribed burning can be used to increase intensity of grazing use, as well as to control distribution of grazing. Total herbage yields on ungrazed Coastal Prairie range were greater on prescribed burned areas of all dates (fall, winter, and spring) than on unburned controls. The winter burned areas produced the highest total yield, followed in decreasing order by the spring and fall burned areas. However, on grazed, Coastal Prairie range total herbage yield was greatest on the unburned control, followed closely by the spring and winter burned areas, while the fall burned area produced the least. Sizeable changes occurred in percentage composition and yields of several key species in the plant community during the first year following seasonal burns. However, dominant species retained their relative ranks in the community, and the plant community maintained its identity and seral status in plant succession.