Introduced for forage and soil-conservation properties, old world bluestems began establishing and spreading through the Great Plains to the great detriment of native flora populations. While they are grazable grasses early in the growing season, rapid rates of maturation lead to unpalatability and decreased nutrient profiles much earlier than native warm-season grasses. Grazing, mowing, and spring burning seem to promote old world bluestem populations. When decreased cover of yellow bluestem was reported following late-summer prescribed fire treatment, our goal was to determine if similar effects could be found in Caucasian bluestem.
Our objective was to examine the effects of late-summer prescribed fire on the frequency and basal cover of Caucasian bluestem (Bothriochloa bladhii), soil cover, botanical composition, and forage production in the Kansas Smoky Hills.
Eighteen one-acre plots located in a Caucasian bluestem-infested pasture in Ellsworth County, Kansas, were randomly assigned to one of three treatments: no burn (control), one burn (August 14, 2019), and two burns (August 14, 2019, and August 11, 2021). Pre-treatment data were collected in 2019 (year one); measurements of soil cover, botanical composition, forage production, and Caucasian bluestem frequency and basal cover were taken each year thereafter.
The Bottom Line: These data suggest that regular application of late-summer
prescribed fire may reduce Caucasian bluestem basal cover while having no negative consequences on native species and improving overall grass-species richness.
The complete report is available at https://doi.org/10.4148/2378-5977.8661. Giefer, Helen Patricia; Harmoney, Keith R.; Ramirez, M. P.; Tajchman, A. J.; Duncan, Z. M.; Lemmon, J.; and Olson, K C. (2025) “Effects of Late-Summer Prescribed Fire on Botanical Composition, Soil Cover, and Forage Production in Caucasian Bluestem-Infested Rangeland in the Kansas Smoky Hills: Final Report,” Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports: Vol. 11: Iss. 1.