Effect of Fire on the Competition Between Blue Grass and Certain Prairie Plants

Abstract

The University of Wisconsin Arboretum in Madison lies in the ecotone region between prairie and hardwood forest formations and only a short distance from the southern border of the boreal forest formation. \hile the clinmate does not allow for optimum development of any of these main formations, it does permit the existence of elements of all three plant groups. The prevailing conditions appear to be most favorable for the hardwood forest, since the succession on undisturbed areas generally proceeds towards that climax. In areas with suitable microclimatic or edaphic conditions, association fragments of the other formations persist, such as tall-grass prairie on thin-soil limestone bluffs. Seemingly, praliries may also occur in other places where fire or other agencies prevent the invasion of woody species. It is believed that by the judicious use of fire or other biotic controls, fairly complete examples of the several associations of each of the formations can be estabhshed and maintained within the 1400 acre limits of the Arboretum; it is hoped that much information of value concerning the dynamics of iormation boundaries can be obtained in the course of such establishment. The present paper reports briefly on one phase of the work, namely the effect of fire on the growth and spread of certain planted prairie species in competition witth a dense sod of old field blue grass.