Prescribed Fire 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.