Abstract
The effects of fire on vegetation in the desert mountain shrub community were studied on 3 to 7-year-old burned sites near the northern limits of the Chihuahurn Desert. Coverage and frequency of redberry juniper (Juniipcruspinchotii) and frequency of whitebail acacia (Acacia texends) were lower, while frequencies of catclaw mimosa (Mimosa biunc~em) and skeleton goldeneye (Viguiera stenoloba) were higher on burned sites when_compared with unburned paired piants. Lechuguiiia (Agave lecheguil&, sotoi (DasytYrion leiophylbun), and sacahuista (Nor and Texas Tech University. It is a contribution of College of Agricultural Sciences, Publication No. T-9-235. Texas Tech University. Manuscript received March 28, 1980. huan Desert. Bunting and Wright (1977) reported theeffectsof fire on desert mountain shrub vegetation 2 years after burning in the Texas Big Bend country. Kittams (1973) noted that in burned desert mountain shrub communities, catclaw mimosa (Mimosa biuncifera). skunkbush (Rhus aromatica), silver dalea (Dalea argyraea), skeleton goldeneye (Viguiera stenoloba). mountain mahogany (Cercocarpus montanus), scrub oaks (Quercus spp.), redberry juniper (Juniperus pinchotii) and alligator juniper (J. deppeana) usually recovered through some form of vegetative sprouting. He observed that lechuguilla (Agave lecheguilla), datil (Yucca baccata), and mature soto (Dasylirion leiophyllum) were usually killed by fire. ,Bunting and Wright (1977) found that fire reduced shrub cover and total grass cover 43% and 72% respectively in a desert mountain shrub community 2 years after burning. Coverage of forbs and half shrubs increased 650%. The fire significantly reduced the density or cover of sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula), blue three-awn (Aristida glauca), sotol, and lechuguilla, whereas coverage contributed by skeleton goldeneye tripled through vigorous sprouting and seedling establishment on the burned area (Bunting and Wright 1977). Information pertaining to other species common to the Chihuahuan Desert is available from studies conducted elsewhere. Mortality rates for cholla (Opuntia imbricata) and pricklypear (0. phaeacantha) two growing seasons after a prescribed burn on the Texas High Plains averaged 45% and 68%, respectively (Heirman and Wright 1973). Pricklypear mortality was 3270 the first year following a prescribed burn (Cable 1967) and 28% the second growing season after an experimental tire (Reynolds and Bohning 1956), in two separate studies conducted in the Arizona Sonoran Desert. Survival of ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens) following a 62 JOURNAL OF RANGE MANAGEMENT 35(l). January 1999 wildfire in the Sonoran Desert was 33Ycfor heavily damaged plants and 50% for plants only scorched (White 1969). Regeneration occurred primarily through basal sprouting. Algerita (Berberis trifoliolata) sprouted vigorously following a wildfire in south central New Mexico (Dwyer and Pieper 1967). The objective of this study was to document longer term effects of fire on vegetation in the mountain shrub community of the Chihuahuan Desert by examining 3 to ‘I-year-old burned areas.
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