Prescribed fire increases forage mineral content in grazed rangeland

Megan R. Wanchuk; Devan Allen McGranahan; Kevin K. Sedivec; Kendall C. Swanson; Torre J. Hovick

doi:10.1071/WF24009

RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)

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Prescribed fire increases forage mineral content in grazed rangeland

Megan R. Wanchuk ^A , Devan Allen McGranahan

^B ^* , Kevin K. Sedivec ^C , Kendall C. Swanson ^D and Torre J. Hovick ^A

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A Range Science Program, North Dakota State University, 1300 Albrecht Boulevard, Fargo, ND 58102, USA.

^B USDA Agricultural Research Service, Livestock & Range Research Laboratory, 243 Ft. Keogh Road, Miles City, MT 59301, USA.

^C Central Grasslands Research Extension Center, North Dakota State University, Streeter, ND, USA.

^D Department of Animal Sciences, North Dakota State University, 1300 Albrecht Boulevard, Fargo, ND 58102, USA.

^* Correspondence to: Devan.McGranahan@usda.gov

International Journal of Wildland Fire 33, WF24009 https://doi.org/10.1071/WF24009

Submitted: 19 January 2024 Accepted: 12 June 2024 Published: 3 July 2024

© 2024 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of IAWF. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)

Abstract

Background

Sustainable rangeland management balances production and conservation. While a broad literature describesthe conservation benefits of prescribed fire, benefits for livestock production have emerged more slowly. Mineral nutrition is important for livestock health and performance, but the impact of prescribed fire on mineral concentration of forages, especially in the northern US Great Plains, remains unknown.

Aims

We investigated how burning affects the mineral concentration of forage early and late in the growing season.

Methods

Data were collected on mixed-grass prairie in south-central North Dakota, USA. Vegetation was clipped from recently burned, 1 year post-fire, 2 years post-fire, and not-yet-burned patches at the same sampling points in spring and late summer. Samples were analysed for calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, copper, iron, manganese, and zinc concentration.

Key results

Burning increased forage mineral concentration across most minerals. Phosphorous, potassium, copper and zinc were higher in burned areas in late spring and summer; calcium, magnesium and manganese were only higher during the late summer; Late-season iron levels increased with time since fire.

Conclusions

Prescribed fire has a positive effect on forage mineral content.

Implications

Prescribed fire has the potential to reduce mineral supplementation costs and improve cow performance.

Keywords: beef cattle, fire-grazing interaction, forage nutritive value, grassland fire management, livestock nutrition, mixed-grass prairie, pyric herbivory, rangeland management.

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