Healthy ecosystem of grazers and grasses
Guest post by student Maya Fink -
The second section of the Montana Prairie Ecology CI 2023 course looked at fire, forest management, and forage production out west. Stepping onto the ranch there is a noticeable difference between eastern and western forests as well as cattle operations.
When collecting forage with Dr. Aguerre, we talked a lot about the forage under our feet and how on ranchlands in Montana where the seasons enter more extremes, hay is the lifeblood of the ranch - we discussed in detail the production of hay, when it is at its best quality, and how best to store it for when you need it. The most important thing I learned from Dr. Aguerre would have to be that not all grasses, forbes, etc are created equal. The cattle avoided things like the invasive cheatgrass we would see in the plots and graze on the high quality native grasses instead. Fire plays such an important role in wiping the slate of invasives and promoting fast-growing native grasses that the cows actually like! When we suppress fire, we suppress the natural process and traditional indigenous process of maintaining a healthy ecosystem of grazers and grasses.
Jeff and Dustin with the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation came to the ranch and spoke with us about stopping wildfires and how DNRC works with landowners to mitigate wildfire damage. I particularly enjoyed talking with Dustin who is an avid hunter and alluded to the fact that our wildlife like elk are grazers just like cattle that select for native grasses maintained by fire. However, we did not touch much on the subject of indigenous people and fire on the landscape. There are natural fires started by lightning strikes that have the “reset” effect on the landscape but Native Americans did prescribed fires every 3-5 years, shaping what we see today. The Montana goal of fire suppression likely only allows for a build up of fuels that create more dangerous and destructive wildfires when they happen. When we take wildlife like bison off the landscape that evolved with fire on the plains and replace them with cattle we still have grazers, but when we take fire off the landscape there is no substitute except prescribed fire!
Dr. Hagan really highlighted the stark difference between the Montana and South Carolina perspective on fire. In South Carolina, we often perform prescribed burns to eliminate a buildup of fuels and to maintain habitat for wildlife. The longleaf pine ecosystem of the southeast would not be possible without fire to suppress a crowded overstory, ease competition with hardwoods, and allow for grasses to grow below. Looking at Montana, however, the landscape is dominated by ponderosa pines and a vast multitude of grasses in the understory almost everywhere. Where Montana lacks in tree diversity, it makes up for in grass diversity! But not all grasses are good for grazers and in order to promote the natives that cattle and wildlife like, fire has to take out competition with invasive grasses and forbes. Not having fire on the landscape seems to be to the detriment of ranchers then, but we can’t just start some fires and solve the problem.
For a state that has lost so much to wildfire, it is not so easy to convince landowners to do prescribed burns. Additionally, fuels build up over time and if the landscape goes without it for too long and fire is reintroduced without additional measures, a fire can get out of control quickly. There is a difference, too, between Montana and South Carolina weather that dries out fuels faster and makes it difficult to find an appropriate time for a controlled burn. However, Native Americans burned the landscape in Montana and South Carolina for thousands of years before us so there must be a reason fire suppression in Montana has created such a harsh landscape for cattle and for the people living there.
