USDA ARS Online Magazine Rangeland Grasses Recover Quickly After Fire (2024)

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USDA ARS Online Magazine Rangeland Grasses Recover Quickly After Fire? ›

Federal rangelands are often closed to grazing for up to 3 years after wildfires. Some beef producers depend on access to federal rangelands. ARS showed that grasses recover quickly and can be grazed within a year. Federal agencies are reviewing policies in light of ARS results.

Many grasses also have a clumping habit caused by tillers; these are additional stems sprouting from the base (aka meristematic buds). This ability to resprout from the basal area (rather than an apical tip) is why grass growth is triggered by fire (23, 25). It's similar to woody plants that resprout.

Because their growth structure is situated at or below the ground, and because fire moves quickly through grasslands, most grasses tolerate fire or even proliferate after a fire. Without fire, shrubs and trees would take over grasslands, effectively converting them to forest, and non-native vegetation would spread.

Extensive research shows that fire helps cycle nutrients and reduces the invasion of less desirable fire-sensitive species such as non-native buckthorn and native cedar trees. Fire can also improve the vigor of native grasses and flowers that evolved with fire.

Since 1983, the National Interagency Fire Center has documented an average of approximately 70,000 wildfires per year (see Figure 1).

It can return to its initial green and lush look in a few weeks, or it can take months. It's a game of patience, and the timeline depends on the grass type, damage level, weather, soil conditions, and lawn care practices. Sometimes, much of the grass is dead and homeowners must reseed the lawn.

When a fire sweeps through, it takes the dead plant material from the surface, but grass grows back quickly because most of the plant is below ground and escapes long-term damage. The key to grass growth is the amount of rainfall, not whether there's been a wildfire, he says.

Burning removes organic matter, dead leaves, blades of grass, and other natural material from resting on top of your grass. Organic matter can house harmful insects and disease. It can also hold onto important nutrients preventing them from reaching the soil.

A research team from Australian National University found that forests' ability to recover from a fire can stretching to more than 80 years.

They have found that burning helps minimize weed growth, puts nutrients from old plant material back into the soil, and eliminates serious pests and diseases. It is a great way to promote new growth and reinvigorate these crops in a time-efficient manner.

How can grasslands regenerate quickly? ›

Final answer: Grasslands can regenerate after a fire through secondary succession, where new plants emerge from the surviving root systems and seeds to restore the ecosystem.

Indigenous people routinely burned land to drive prey, clear underbrush and provide pastures. When naturalists like John Muir first entered the Yosemite Valley of California in the 19th century, they marveled at the beauty of what they believed to be a pristine wilderness untouched by human hands.

Fire damage to your crop or pasture can reduce forage and grazing availability for your livestock, destroy the habitat of surrounding wildlife, leave soil stripped of nutrients, expose land to wind and water erosion, and result in a significant reduction in growth the following growing season.

Humans cause nearly 90% of wildfires in the United states¹ via discarded cigarettes, unattended campfires, burning debris, or through equipment malfunctions. Although less common, wildfires can also occur though non-human phenomena, such as lightning strikes and volcanic eruptions.

California almost always tops the list of states with the most wildfires, and it's a good example of how some states face greater risk because of their climate. The state's dry climate coupled with regional winds increase its wildfire risk.

Humans and Wildfire

Nearly 85 percent* of wildland fires in the United States are caused by humans.

Some species require fire reproduce, including California's giant sequoias: their serotinous cones are glued tightly shut with pine resin, and require concentrated heat to release the mature seeds inside. Other species, like shrubs and annual plants, are triggered to grow by the chemical signals in smoke.

Soil fertility can increase after low intensity fires since fire chemically converts nutrients bound in dead plant tissues and the soil surface to more available forms or the fire indirectly increases mineralization rates through its impacts on soil microorganisms (Schoch and Binkley 1986).