. Research for tomorrow's forests : 1983 research accomplishments. --. Forests and forestry Research United States. Prescribed Burning Improves Range Forage and Growth of Longleaf Pine Seedlings On the coastal plain of the Southern United States, large amounts of cattle forage can be produced beneath young pine stands or under older stands in which the trees are widely spaced. To keep forage quality high, however, pine pastures must be burned every 1 to 3 years. Prescribed burning removes old vegetation and pine litter so livestock can more readily graze the new green growth. Winter burning in
. Research for tomorrow's forests : 1983 research accomplishments. --. Forests and forestry Research United States. Prescribed Burning Improves Range Forage and Growth of Longleaf Pine Seedlings On the coastal plain of the Southern United States, large amounts of cattle forage can be produced beneath young pine stands or under older stands in which the trees are widely spaced. To keep forage quality high, however, pine pastures must be burned every 1 to 3 years. Prescribed burning removes old vegetation and pine litter so livestock can more readily graze the new green growth. Winter burning increases for- age yields, while summer burning boosts forage quality. Continuous moderate grazing after periodic burning helps keep forage plants producing new growth. It also aids cattle in maintain- ing their weight throughout the summer without supplements on what appears to be protein-deficient forage. People considering joint production of pine and cattle in the region have raised the question—what about the effects of repeated burning and grazing on the productivity of the soil? Long-term studies by the Southeastern Station indicate that productivity is not lost. Even though frequent burning greatly reduces the amount of organic matter in the forest floor, a 40-year study shows that burning followed by grazing has no detrimental effects on nutrient budgets or on pine growth. In fact, burning may improve pine growth by mineralizing nutrients that would oth- erwise be tied up in the forest floor. Scientists at the Southern Station also learned that longleaf pine seedlings in the "grass" stage on the range responded better in both survival and height growth to May burning than to the com- monly practiced March burning. More- over, scientists have found that two or three annual fires in May, followed by fires at 2-year intervals, may be ade- quate and better than a series of annual fires over many years. As a result of these findings, scientists are now rec- ommend
Size: 1198px × 2085px
Photo credit: © Book Worm / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookauthorunitedstatesforestservice, bookcentury1900, bookcollec
