“That’s the key to recovery — adequate soil mois- ture,” Goodwin says.
The cycle continues Once a prescribed fi re is out and the smoke has
cleared, a waiting game begins. Planning for the next steps should already be in place. Depending on the goals and objectives of the burn, cattle ranchers may decide to leave the pasture out of rotation for a period as long as an entire growing season, or cattle may need to be turned out sooner. “There are instances where, depending on your plant
community, you may want to turn out immediately,” says Goodwin. “Some forages like lovegrass become unpalatable to cattle once the vegetation has matured. The young, new growth following a fi re is the only time cattle will eat it.” Post-burn management relies completely on the
desired objective for the pasture, but most are ready to be returned to the grazing rotation within 60 to 90 days. Then the cycle begins all over again as the cattle play their part in managing the range until fi re is needed once more. “It’s really about when that target species gets back
to a threshold where it needs to be controlled by fi re,” says Goodwin. Most of Texas has a fi re return interval of anywhere
from 3 to 7 years, but the decision to reburn goes back to the objective of the use of fi re as a management tool. Burning intervals become longer depending on the average yearly rainfall and the speed of growth of the plant species targeted with fi re. Goodwin recommends watching for regrowth or new plants to get to a level where it can be controlled with fi re. Managing these species with fi re can save money and time as extensive regrowth can sometimes require mechanical removal. Through fi re, the nutrient cycle is effectively turned
over by breaking down organic matter and returning valuable nutrients to the soil. While a pasture going up in a plume of smoke at fi rst appears to be an event of destruction, the black soil left behind will soon bring the reward of renewed growth. “What we are doing is increasing and really rejuve-
nating that nutrient cycle by having prescribed fi re,” says Goodwin. The next time you see a pasture burned black,
Goodwin says, “Remember that the land has already started healing; you just can’t see it yet.”
tscra.org
October 2016 The Cattleman 103
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