The case for prescribed burning to control shrubs in eastern semi-arid woodlands.

Hodgkinson, K. C.; Harrington, GN

doi:10.1071/rj9850064

Cited by 79 publications

(39 citation statements)

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“…In many areas of the semi-arid woodlands, prescribed fire has been shown to be an economical solution for the control of woody perennial vegetation (Burgess 1988), effectively reducing shrub biomass and promoting pasture growth (Hodgkinson and Harrington 1985).…”

Section: T H E Role O F Firementioning

confidence: 99%

Microbiotic soil crusts - a review of their roles in soil and ecological processes in the rangelands of Australia

Eldridge¹,

Greene²

1994

Soil Res.

498

307

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Microbiotic crusts are assemblages of non-vascular plants (mosses, liverworts, algae, lichens, fungi, bacteria and cyanobacteria) which form intimate associations with surface soils. They play a major role in infiltration processes through changes to soil physico-chemical properties, and through their influence on soil surface roughness. Whilst some research suggests that they may restrict infiltration, Australian experience is that they are generally associated with enhanced infiltration. Unlike physical soil crusts, microbiotic crusts stabilize the soil against water and wind erosion, increasing landscape stability, particularly in areas of low vascular plant cover. Microbiotic crusts are thus useful indicators of soil surface condition, and cyanobacteria in the crusts fix nitrogen which may be utilized by developing vascular plant seedlings. Little is known, however, about how they interact with vascular plants and soil invertebrates. Their role in rangeland ecosystems has received renewed attention over the past few years with an increasing interest in ecologically sustainable development of arid and semi-arid grazing systems.In this review we discuss the characteristics and distribution of microbiotic crusts in the rangelands of Australia, their roles in soil and eco!ogical processes and the impacts of fire and grazing. Finally we propose a new system for classifying crusts into functional groups and identify areas requiring further investigation.

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Section: T H E Role O F Firementioning

confidence: 99%

Microbiotic soil crusts - a review of their roles in soil and ecological processes in the rangelands of Australia

Eldridge¹,

Greene²

1994

Soil Res.

498

307

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“…Thus, for mechanical clearing to be successful, a subsequent treatment such as fire may be needed to limit woody recruitment. This has been noted in North America (Steuter and Wright 1983;Rasmussen and Wright 1989) and Australia (Hodgkinson and Harrington 1985).…”

Section: Herbaceous Responsesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Woody plants have encroached in many grassland and savanna ecosystems worldwide during recent history and continue to expand (Hodgkinson and Harrington 1985;Grover and Musick 1990;Van Auken 2000). Woody encroachment ultimately decreases herbaceous production and diversity, reduces wildlife habitat, and increases bare ground and soil erosion potential (Scholes and Archer 1997).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Herbaceous Restoration of Juniper Dominated Grasslands With Chaining and Fire

Ansley¹,

Wiedemanm²,

Castellano³

et al. 2006

REM

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Juniper (Juniperus spp.) encroachment in grasslands usually progresses toward a stable woody state of mature trees that requires a significant disturbance to shift succession in another direction. Fire alone is often inadequate to shift succession in dense stands of mature juniper and must be preceded by a mechanical treatment such as chaining to reduce juniper competition and increase herbaceous growth that fuels a subsequent fire. However, little long-term data are available that measure combined effects of mechanical and fire treatments on restoration of juniper-dominated grasslands. Here, on a degraded (40% bare ground) north Texas site dominated by redberry juniper (Juniperus pinchotii Sudw), we quantify long-term herbaceous responses to mechanical chaining followed by fire. Two types of chaining, ground-level and elevated, were evaluated and all chained plots were burned 4 years after chaining. Herbaceous and woody responses were measured for several years after both chaining and fire treatments and compared to untreated controls. At study termination, both of the chaining þ fire treatments reduced juniper cover from 32% to , 6%, but mortality was , 10%, because most plants basal-sprouted. Total grass production did not increase in chained treatments over the untreated until 3 growing seasons after chaining. Grass production declined the first growing season following the fire treatment, but increased in treated plots to 3 times the untreated the second and third year postfire. Total grass cover in treated plots did not increase over the untreated until the second year after the fire treatment. There was no difference in juniper or herbaceous responses between the 2 chain types. Results suggest increases in herbaceous production from chaining alone were due to increased growth of existing vegetation patches whereas the fire treatment appeared to stimulate herbaceous recruitment into bare soil areas. ResumenLa invasió n de ''Juniper'' (Juniperus spp.) en los pastizales generalmente progresa hacia un estado estable de plantas leñ osas de árboles maduros que requieren de un disturbio significativo para desviar la sucesió n hacia otra direcció n. El fuego solo a menudo es inadecuado en poblaciones densas de ''Juniper'' maduros y debe ser precedido por un tratamiento mecánico, tal como el cadeneo, para reducir la competencia del ''Juniper'' e incrementar el crecimiento de las herbá ceas que servirá n de combustible para el fuego subsiguiente. Sin embargo, son pocos los datos de largo plazo disponibles que miden los efectos combinados de los tratamientos mecá nicos y fuego en la restauració n de pastizales dominados por ''Juniper''. Aquí, en un sito degradado (40% de suelo desnudo) del norte de Texas dominado por ''Redberry juniper'' (Juniperus pinchotii Sudw), cuantificamos la respuesta a largo plazo de las herbá ceas al cadeneo mecá nico seguido por fuego. Se evaluaron dos tipos de cadeneo, a nivel de suelo y elevado, y todas las parcelas cadeneadas fueron quemadas 4 añ os después del cadeneo. La respu...

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“…These coverages indicate that in 2006, 24% of the mulga-dominated vegetation had been mechanically cleared (Fensham et al 2011a). Although mulga can be killed by fire (Hodgkinson and Harrington 1985), it is extremely infrequent in the mulga forest , and is only possible after well above average rainfall. Long-term landholders recall fires in the mulga forest of the study area during the 1950s, but much more limited fires during the wet years of the 1970s (J.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Potential aboveground biomass in drought‐prone forest used for rangeland pastoralism

Fensham

Fairfax

Dwyer

2012

Ecological Applications

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Abstract. The restoration of cleared dry forest represents an important opportunity to sequester atmospheric carbon. In order to account for this potential, the influences of climate, soils, and disturbance need to be deciphered. A data set spanning a region defined the aboveground biomass of mulga (Acacia aneura) dry forest and was analyzed in relation to climate and soil variables using a Bayesian model averaging procedure. Mean annual rainfall had an overwhelmingly strong positive effect, with mean maximum temperature (negative) and soil depth (positive) also important. The data were collected after a recent drought, and the amount of recent tree mortality was weakly positively related to a measure of three-year rainfall deficit, and maximum temperature (positive), soil depth (negative), and coarse sand (negative). A grazing index represented by the distance of sites to watering points was not incorporated by the models. Stark management contrasts, including grazing exclosures, can represent a substantial part of the variance in the model predicting biomass, but the impact of management was unpredictable and was insignificant in the regional data set. There was no evidence of density-dependent effects on tree mortality. Climate change scenarios represented by the coincidence of historical extreme rainfall deficit with extreme temperature suggest mortality of 30.1% of aboveground biomass, compared to 21.6% after the recent (2003)(2004)(2005)(2006)(2007) drought. Projections for recovery of forest using a mapping base of cleared areas revealed that the greatest opportunities for restoration of aboveground biomass are in the higher-rainfall areas, where biomass accumulation will be greatest and droughts are less intense. These areas are probably the most productive for rangeland pastoralism, and the trade-off between pastoral production and carbon sequestration will be determined by market forces and carbon-trading rules.

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The case for prescribed burning to control shrubs in eastern semi-arid woodlands.

Cited by 79 publications

References 0 publications

Microbiotic soil crusts - a review of their roles in soil and ecological processes in the rangelands of Australia

Microbiotic soil crusts - a review of their roles in soil and ecological processes in the rangelands of Australia

Herbaceous Restoration of Juniper Dominated Grasslands With Chaining and Fire

Potential aboveground biomass in drought‐prone forest used for rangeland pastoralism

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