Prescribed burning is commonly used in marshes to alter plant species composition and density. Although burning has been used in big game management to improve the protein content of browse (e.g., Lay 1957, Leege 1969), few studies have documented the effects of burning on the nutritive quality of marsh plants (Linde 1969). Nutria (Myocastor coypus), muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus), and many waterfowl species are dependent on wetland vegetation for their nutritional requirements. Linde (1969:100) proposed, and we tested, the hypothesis that prescribed burning may improve the nutritive quality of marsh plants.