Background for E133
The role of fire in maintenance of tallgrass prairie and savanna ecosystems is well documented (reviewed in Collins and Wallace 1990; Hulbert 1986; Johnson 1993). In general, fire suppresses shrubs and trees and favors native prairie species. Responses of plant species to burning, however, are related to season of burning (Howe 1994a, 1994b), intensity and frequency of fires (Gibson 1988; Tester 1989; White 1986). However, plant species respond in an individualistic manner. Thus, use of prescribed burning by resource managers must be based on knowledge of how individual species will respond to the treatment.
Experiment
E133 investigates the response of certain plant species over an extended period
to a program of prescribed fires that was initiated in 1964 at the Cedar Creek
Natural History Area to restore oak savanna from oak forest.