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

85. Givens, L. S. 1962. Use of fire on southeastern wildlife refuges Proc. Annu. 
         Tall Timbers Fire Ecol. Conf. 1:121-126.

Prescribed burning is very effective in conditioning upland wildlife and marsh habitat on many southeastern National Wildlife Refuges. It removes dense vegetation (e.g., cattail, cordgrass, and giant southern-wildrice) and accumulated litter. This makes valuable seed-bearing food plants, such as barnyardgrass and foxtail, more available to waterfowl. Burning also provides succulent sprout growth for browsing waterfowl (e.g., Canada geese). By setting back succession, more productive plant communities can be maintained. As a management tool, fire is most useful when used in conjunction with flooding and discing. Burning should be done in winter to minimize damage to bird nests. Examples are given of how fire has been beneficial on specific refuges. [K-L-S]

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