Victoria Haynes
Texas A&M University - Kingsville
Graduate Research Assistant in Range and Wildlife Sciences (Masters Candidate)
Prescribed Patch Burning in Gulf Cordgrass Rangelands on Ungulate Distribution
Gulf cordgrass and seacoast bluestem are two native grass species that are endemic to the Texas Coastal Prairies. While little research has been conducted on the nutritional value of seacoast bluestem, gulf cordgrass has been documented to lose value and mature into a coarse, unpalatable plant when not subjected to periodic defoliation.
In my research, we’ve been applying prescribed fire on the East Foundation’s El Sauz property during winter and summer seasons to develop burning recommendations to optimize livestock utilization of cordgrass rangelands along the southern Texas Coast. Our study site consists of 10 patches (>200 ha each) with two patches being burned each treatment season for a 2-year period. We are currently in our second year of treatments.
Forage samples within the burned patches are being obtained prior to burning and then weekly for 90 days following burning. We are analyzing these forage samples for variation in crude fiber and crude protein values between burned and non-burned patches as well as variations among seasons of burning. We are also monitoring the location of thirty cattle using Lotek’s LifeCycle® GPS collars and conducting ground-based vehicular visual counts for the occurrence of white-tailed deer, nilgai, and cattle within the burned patches. The data collected will answer the effects of winter and summer burning in coastal prairies on (1) the nutritional value of gulf cordgrass and seacoast bluestem; and (2) distribution patterns of animals prior to and following each burn. Our project will contribute to the knowledge of prescribed burning along the Gulf Coast Prairies to optimize utilization of cordgrass rangelands on a sustainable basis.