Effects of prescribed burning on vegetation and fuel loading in three east Texas state parks

This study was conducted to evaluate the initial effectiveness of prescribed burning in the ecological restoration of forests within selected parks in east Texas. Twenty-four permanent plots were installed to monitor fuel loads, overstory, sapling, seedling, shrub and herbaceous layers within burn and control units of Mission Tejas, Tyler and Village Creek state parks. Measurements were taken during the summers of 1999 and 2000. Prescribed burning was conducted between these sampling periods in early spring 2000. Results indicated that the current applications of prescribed burning do not significantly influence vegetation or fuels. Sustained drought, prior management practices and imposed local burn bans reduced the window within which prescribed burns could be applied, and limited the effectiveness of the burns.