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

234. Smith, E. R. 1960. Evaluation of a leveed Louisiana marsh. Trans. N. Am. 
          Wildl. Nat. Resour. Conf. 35:265-275.

A fresh marsh covered by a stand of giant southern-wild rice was treated with stabilized water levels (+5 to -5 cm), cattle walkways, controlled grazing, and spraying of pest plants. After 5 years, the following was noted: no significant change in soils; a decrease in the basal density of marshhay cordgrass, common reed, and gulf cordgrass, and an increase in density of barnyard grass, sprangletop, seashore paspalum, knotgrass paspalum, and other species; an overall increase in the amount of food available to wildlife; an increase in waterfowl and muskrat populations; a freshening of the marsh; an increase in the value for livestock; and a decrease in value for estuarine organisms. Burning one-third of the marsh per year retarded succession, released nutrients, removed rough, and hastened germination. [K-L-S]

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