Is prescribed fire a suitable management tool to reduce shrub encroachment in palm savannas?

POLICELLI, NAHUEL; PICCA, PABLO; VILLAFAÑE, ISABEL GÓMEZ

RESTORATION ECOLOGY

WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC

Año: 2018

1061-2971

Shrub encroachment in grasslands is a worldwide problem that has many ecologicalconsequences, transforming previously open environments into dense forests.Disruption of natural fire regimes is one of the main causes of shrub encroachment, andthe use of prescribed fire is a common strategy used to restore these ecosystems. In thisstudy, we provide information about how a palm tree savanna under a process of shrubencroachment responds to the reintroduction of fire. We describe the effects of a firstfire event on vegetation composition and structure using an experimental approach. Weexamine a species-specific response to the fire. After one prescribed fire event appliedto four study areas of 16 ha each, we analyzed the change in vegetation physiognomyand composition in burned and control plots for one year. Low-intensity prescribed firedecreased height and cover of most shrub species and increased herbaceous vegetationcover over time. We classified shrub and herbaceous species response to fire accordingto the time they became present and their phenological characteristics. Our results canhelp stakeholders to determine if prescribed fire is helpful at reducing shrubencroachment in the short term in similar ecosystems, considering how plantcommunity responds to the reintroduction of fire after decades of fire suppression.Keywords: Conservation, grasslands, invasion, management, prescribed burning,protected area, restoration.