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Abstract
Private and public land managers are attempting to reintroduce fire into the ecosystems of the Peloncillo Mountains to reduce the density of woody species, increase the herbaceous plant cover, and improve the area’s ecological diversity. The Cascabel Watershed Study, which includes 12 small gauged watersheds, was started in 2000 to evaluate the impacts of cool-season (November-April) and warmseason (May-October) prescribed fires on biological and physical components of the oak (Quercus spp.) savannas that are common to the Southwestern Borderlands Region. The Whitmire Wildfire in May 2008 modified the original experimental design. All three fire treatments resulted in low severity burns. The effects of the different fire treatments on tree overstories, herbaceous production, ground cover, selected wildlife species, and bird populations are presented. Measurements did not indicate many significant differences among treatments or with pre-fire conditions. For example, almost 78 percent of the overstory trees on the watersheds survived the fires. The main exception was a large increase in grass and total herbaceous plant production of early-growing species after the fires; annual grasses and forbs are not common at Cascabel. The fires also produced statistically significant increases in the production of late-growing grass species but the changes were not as large.
Parent Publication
Keywords
Madrean Archipelago,
Sky Islands,
southwestern United States,
northern Mexico,
natural environment,
fauna,
flora,
research,
management,
biodiversity,
climate change
Citation
Gottfried, Gerald J.; Ffolliott, Peter F.; Neary, Daniel G. 2013. Effects of prescribed fires and a wildfire on biological resources of oak savannas in the Peloncillo Mountains, New Mexico. In: Gottfried, Gerald J.; Ffolliott, Peter F.; Gebow, Brooke S.; Eskew, Lane G.; Collins, Loa C. Merging science and management in a rapidly changing world: Biodiversity and management of the Madrean Archipelago III and 7th Conference on Research and Resource Management in the Southwestern Deserts; 2012 May 1-5; Tucson, AZ. Proceedings. RMRS-P-67. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. p. 341-344.
