Oklahoma Prescribed Burning Handbook

The frequency, intensity, and season of fire is second only to precipitation in terms of vegetation response. In other words, if it does not rain, nothing will grow whether it was burned or not. The amount of time since a fire is the most important factor of a fire’s impact on vegetation structure and composition. Time of year (season) has minimal impact on the native plant community. Fire frequency is the key to managing woody plants. Fire is not a one-time tool, it is a management program. One year of fire will not change years of fire suppression. With the appropriate fire frequency (based on objectives), the native plant community can be maintained as a forest, a woodland, a savannah, a shubland, or a grassland. Thus, depending on the objectives (such as wildlife, brush control, forage production for livestock, etc.) land can be molded to meet landowner goals.

 

Oklahoma Prescribed Burning Handbook