Effect of Season of Burning and Mowing on an Eastern Nebraska Stipa-Andropogon Prairie

Abstract

The effects of spring and summer mowing and spring burning on species composition and inflorescence phenology were evaluated on an eastern Nebraska bluestem prairie with a history of summer mowing. Portions of the prairie were burned and mowed in April 1978; evaluations were conducted in June and August of the same year. Canopy cover and flowering stem numbers and height of porcupine grass (Stipa sparten), a cool season species, consistently averaged higher on areas mowed in the summer. In contrast, big bluestem (Andropogon gerardti), a warm season grass, was favored by spring burning and mowing. These effects, as well as the responses of other cool and warm season species, suggest that over time, summer treatments will tend to increase the dominance of cool season species whereas spring treatments will increase that of warm season species. Comparisons between treatments suggest that the vegetative responses to spring mowing are more similar to spring burning than summer mowing. Thus, it appears that the time of treatment has a greater impact on potential vegetative change than does the type of management. Consideration of these influences is essential when selecting appropriate practices designed to maintain bluestem prairie in near pristine condition.