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

59. Diiro, B. W. 1982. Effects of burning and mowing on seasonal whitetop ponds 
         in southern Manitoba. M.S. Thesis. Iowa State University, Ames. 48 pp.

Mowing, spring burning, and fall burning were evaluated as management techniques for whitetop rivergrass. Water depth, temperature, and nutrient levels; invertebrate abundance and community composition; vegetative cover and production; waterfowl use; and simulated waterfowl nest successs were studied under different treatment regimes. Burning increases production of whitetop rivergrass but only if conducted on appropriate sites. In this study, fall-burned ponds had reduced water levels the following spring and reduced wildlife values in winter and summer; spring-burned ponds had no increase in whitetop production. Since whitetop must be reflooded after burning to increase production, fall burning of shallow ponds and most spring burning seems unjustified. If burning is used to manage whitetop rivergrass, it should be conducted in the fall and only on areas that do not rely solely on snow trapped within the basin as a water source. Areas with water level control should be burned in the fall and subsequently reflooded the following spring to maximize whitetop production. [K-L-S]

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