Fire in North American Wetland Ecosystems and Fire-Wildlife Relations: An Annotated Bibliography

36. Chabreck, R. H. 1976. Management of wetlands for wildlife habitat improvement. 
         Pages 226-233 in M. Wiley, ed. Estuarine processes.

Vol. I. Uses, stresses, and adaptation to the estuary. Academic Press, New York. Burning has been widely used, but the value of most of the effort is questionable in many coastal marshes. Burning can remove dense stands of vegetation and attract geese to marshes, and it facilitates marsh access by hunters and trappers. Nutria- and raccoons move from burned marsh, however, because of lack of cover. Burning can give Olney bulrush an earlier start during the growing season, permitting it to outcompete marshhay cordgrass, but burning alone will not maintain the species and should not be substituted for necessary water levels and salinities in the management of this vegetation or any other coastal species. [K-L-S]

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